The Family in Action!--#6 DFO
The Family Fights for Brethren in Bonds!
"Beautiful, historical account of a monumental worldwide effort by The Family that bore tremendous
fruit! Praise the Lord!"--Maria
Copyrighted May, 1994, by Family Services, Zurich, Switzerland
IN EARLY JUNE OF 1993, police staged violent pre-dawn raids on two Family communities in France, seizing the children and accusing their parents of child abuse. When it became obvious that the charges were unsubstantiated, some of the children were released to their parents. However, many others were placed in foster homes and denied contact with their parents except for a five-minute phone call each week. (In some cases this was also denied.)
Despite no evidence of criminal wrongdoing, no signs of abuse, and no charges laid, Family members were treated like criminals, with little interest in fairness being shown on the part of French officials. It was an intolerable situation, which Family members began to publicize by demonstrating in front of French diplomatic missions worldwide, in public rallies, and in whatever manner they could. Thankfully, all the Family children were released soon afterwards.
Then on September 1, 1993, police in Buenos Aires, Argentina, raided several Family residences. Twenty-one adult Family members were imprisoned and charged with child abuse and other crimes. One hundred and thirty-seven of our children were placed in custody in state institutions. The news of the raids and sensational accusations made headlines around the world.
The Family denied all charges, and lodged an appeal. On December 13, the Court of Appeals of San Martin released the imprisoned Family members and ordered that all the children be immediately returned to their parents and be allowed to live in Family residences. The appeals court also declared that the federal judge who had presided over the investigation, Roberto Marquevich, had acted outside his jurisdiction.
Shortly after the appeals court decision, John Francis, Family spokesperson, explained how Family members rallied to help their brethren in bonds: "Argentina was a repeat performance of what happened in France, but on a much larger scale. This time a federal judge and a police commissioner were clearly involved in illegal acts against our members. Officials went to great lengths to poison public opinion by spreading the most outlandish lies against us in the media.
"So again Family members mobilized around the world. This time they picketed not only embassies and consulates, but Argentine airline and tourist offices, businesses, sporting events--just about anything and everything connected to Argentina. President Carlos Menem encountered pickets whenever he travelled overseas. Wherever we could, we publicized the shocking situation in Buenos Aires.
"Family members mounted 251 demonstrations in 59 cities located in 30 different countries. Over 12 million pamphlets, tracts and news releases outlining the injustices suffered by our Argentine members were distributed. Nearly 25,000 concerned individuals not connected with our movement sent protest postcards and letters to the Argentine authorities. Our members and their protests were also featured several hundred times in the broadcast and print media worldwide. The world heard what we had to say, and I have no doubt that the Argentine government, struggling to reassert its place among the world's democracies after years of military tyranny, was gravely embarrassed."
Following are some exciting accounts of Family demonstrations for our brethren suffering persecution in France and in Argentina.
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Supporting Our Family in France!
Accounts from the Los Angeles Demonstrators
Voicing Our Outrage
DURING OUR THREE DAYS of demonstrations outside the French consulate in Los Angeles last June, we tried everything we could think of to draw attention to the plight of our Family in France. We marched with picket signs and banners, we chanted slogans in unison, we read our press releases over megaphones, we passed out press releases to every passing pedestrian and car, we played guitars and sang. When the police said we couldn't use our bullhorns any more, we made megaphones out of poster board and yelled all the louder.
The first day we also went into the consulate to lodge our formal complaint. As Jay and 20-year-old Joy arrived upstairs, they realized that the guard who had been watching our picketing from the downstairs doorway was actually the receptionist. He waved them right in to see the deputy consul. They explained that they had come to protest what happened to The Family in France, and to call for an investigation into both ADFI* and police brutality in France. (*ADFI [Association for the Defense of the Family and the Individual] is a European organization dedicated to the dissolution of new religious movements.)
We were able to explain to the deputy consul that we were demonstrating because of the atrocity committed against our Family in France. We assured him that we didn't have anything against him personally, or against this particular consulate, but our protest was against the French government in general. He didn't show a very positive or receptive attitude, but at least we were able to explain our point of view to him.
Family Detractor Shows Up!
At the end of our first day of picketing, as our whole team was walking with our signs back towards our vehicle, Ricky, who was in the lead, passed a man with a camera who said with a smirk, "Smile!" and took his picture. It was Samuel Ajemian, a disgruntled and bitter ex-member, who left our fellowship over 18 years ago, and has been actively working against us ever since, and against whom we have filed a restraining article. By court order, he is not allowed within 100 feet of us, and he had just deliberately violated this!
A number of our men soon gathered around him. He spouted off all the usual lies and accusations, but 21-year-old Jonathan got in there eyeball to eyeball and told him off, shaking his finger in Ajemian's face and really letting him have it! Ajemian was noticeably shaken up, reacting in a very hostile manner as though possessed by the Devil. Before he left, he drove around the parking lot, littering it with stacks of his leaflets against us and screaming, "These are for you!"
We were parked right next to a large federal building, so when people noticed all the commotion, they sent an FBI agent out to investigate. By this time, Ajemian seemed to be gone. We explained the incident and the restraining order. God bless the FBI agent, who was very concerned and called a police squad right away to help us make a formal report on the incident.
Upon arriving home, we prepared packages containing copies of the restraining order against Ajemian and got them off to the FBI agent and the police officers we'd met on the scene. Both departments assured us that they would arrest him if he showed up again the following day.
Encounters with Police and Police Escorts
We hadn't drawn much attention from the police during our first day of picketing, but the second day ten different officers came to check on us and tell us our rights, etc., including the head officer of the district, who had been called in to speak to the French consul about us. All of the police that we met were sympathetic and understanding.
We explained to each set of police officers about the encounter with Ajemian the previous day, and showed them the restraining order. They were already very aware of our situation and the head officer even told us to be sure to call him if he showed up, as he would be very involved in the arrest, etc.
For the next two days as we continued our picketing, the head officer came by to see how things were going and, at the end of each day, personally escorted us in his police car--lights flashing and sirens blaring--back to the freeway so that we wouldn't be harassed by anyone! Quite a sight! We had previously tried to arrange a police escort ourselves in order to draw more attention to our cause, but without success. But when the man said "no", the Lord said "yes" and He even used our enemies to help bring it about! Praise the Lord!
Mad, Sad or Glad
Our demonstration was at a busy intersection, which was ideal. Each day we had a captive audience as thousands of cars stopped at the light and the drivers and passengers watched and listened.
One was a teenager in far-out clothes and a souped-up jeep. After reading our signs and listening for a minute, he pulled over and stopped. He had a whole stereo system mounted on the top of his jeep, including a PA system connected to his speakers. Before we knew it, he joined in with some of our slogans, which boomed out very loud and clear! GBH!
One big trucker blew his air horn every time we'd do something he liked and gave us the "thumbs-up" sign as the light changed and he had to move on. Others yelled from their cars, "Good job! Keep it up!" Then there were a few, of course, who told us to go home.
Teen Brandt, who was one of the team distributing literature at the light, reported: "We offered press releases to every single car that stopped for the light, so we met a few people in the cars that had French diplomatic license plates on them. I guess they didn't know who we were at first because a couple of them received our lit. Later, some were pretty upset, which for us just made things all the more exciting!"
Not all of the French people we met were rude or offended. Two French ladies with a little child were shocked when Ricky told them about the police raids. "Imagine if that had been your child!" he said.
Lawyer Met at Picket Line
Eli approached an older man who asked Eli if he had anything else that explained The Family. "I've already read both of these press releases, but these are for people who think governments don't do things like this. I've been a lawyer for 44 years, so I understand that such things do happen, even in democratic societies. Do you have anything else that explains yourselves and your situation more fully?"
Eli said he could send him this type of literature, and he and Windy explained how The Family lives and the persecution we receive. They also told him about the local work and invited him to visit. He turned out to be a very sweet man and a Christian, the only professing Christian in his law firm, he said.
When we started talking about the children, he got really upset and said, "It's horrible that they traumatized such young children!" He also said that he's travelled all over the world and he knows that those in the French government are very cruel in their treatment of minority religions, etc.
As they parted, he told Eli and Windy, "Please get in contact with me if you need any help. I'm only going to be in practice for one more year, but I'd like to help you in any way I can."
Opposition!
When Eden offered a press release to one man, he got really upset and started a scene. As it turned out, he was rabidly anti-Christ!
"I know who you are and I know all about Moses David. You're child molesters!" he screamed at the top of his lungs.
Stephen Tall was there, and when things began getting out of hand, Stephen took out his camera to take a picture. That just made this man more hyper and he looked about ready to start a fight.
"Watch out! I don't want you to get hurt," Stephen warned him.
"Give me that camera!" the man said as he took a swing.
Stephen is 6'8" (over two meters) tall, so he simply held out his arm and put his hand against this man's chest, distancing himself so the punches didn't even come close. The man was flailing away at thin air! The scene looked like something out of a comic strip! What a fitting picture of our enemies' futile attempts to fight God's children!
A few of the other men went over and explained that they'd have to call the police if he didn't get control of himself, and he finally left. This incident actually won us the sympathy of a number of others who witnessed it.
Fight the Good Fight!
Although this demonstration was a victory and often quite exciting, it was also a battle in the spirit at times. Ricky shared, "Our tactics could have seemed a bit foolish at times, marching around the same building for three days, sometimes circling the same large flowerpot ten or twenty times non-stop, or dodging low-hanging trees with our picket signs and banners. Sometimes our signs came unstapled. All sorts of little things went wrong.
"Sometimes I was tempted with the thought, `Boy, this is crazy.' But the passage always came to me about how the Lord uses the foolish things and the weak things to confound the mighty so that no flesh can glory in His presence. Compared to the world, we're ridiculously small, but so is everything that God used to defeat His foes in the Bible. He used little David and a tiny stone to stop Goliath. He used Gideon's band. Joshua's army marched around Jericho for seven days without saying or doing a thing. They must have looked even more foolish than we did--no picket signs, no yelling and screaming, no bullhorns, no banners, no guitars--but they did what the Lord told them to do, and on the last day they blew their trumpets and the whole place came tumbling down. We don't need to be concerned about our reputation, we just need to be fighters for the faith!
"The Enemy also tried to get us sidetracked with personal battles or feeling cold or tired. When that didn't work, he tried to get us distracted by all the cars and people. We had to pray for the Lord to help us see it the way He was seeing it. We were just playing our little part and that's all we could see, but He sees the big picture. He sees the end from the beginning--the results, the victory!"
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Picketing at the U.N.!
(Editor's note: When the first of the Family children held in France were returned to their parents and a schedule for the release of the others was announced, most of the worldwide Family discontinued their picketing and vigils outside French embassies and consulates. However, the Family in Austria were just getting started in their week-long demonstrations outside the U.N. building in Vienna, following a very busy time of witnessing at the U.N. Conference on Human Rights which had been held there shortly before. So they went ahead with their demonstrations, enlarging them to speak out against all organized opposition to new religious movements [NRMs].
(Rather than directing all of our efforts against only the French government and/or ADFI, the Family in Vienna expanded their target to include FAIR and CIC in England, Pro-Juventud in Spain, an anti-cult group in Italy, and other groups forming against us in Eastern Europe, etc., as well as CAN [Cult Awareness Network] in the U.S. Slogans on their placards were modified to expose these organizations, and to warn the governments of the world against being fed bigoted and false information by them.)
From the Vienna picketers:
The first day of our demonstrations was spent picketing outside the French embassy. We also went inside to meet the first consul and give him our formal letter of complaint (addressed to the ambassador) and other materials in French which decried the injustice done to our Family in France and lambasted our anti-cult enemies who were behind the raids.
By the next morning, our permit had been approved to demonstrate in front of the United Nations building, where an international convention on human rights had just ended. The police were expecting us. An Austrian plainclothes officer greeted us and introduced us to the U.N. guards stationed at the entrance, explaining that we had permission to hold a peaceful protest. Just moments later, we were holding our banner and picket signs directly in front of the main entrance and had set up two tables on which we displayed selected Statements, press releases and exposs on anti-cult organizations--all in various languages.
We soon received suggestions for new slogans for our signs and swung into full-time picket and banner production. At first we tried to do this right at the picket site, but later moved our two artists to our little apartment base, where the girls were kept busy drawing and writing fulltime, God bless them!
The teens were all very excited about being on the front lines of these demonstrations and were very good examples of youth fighting for a righteous cause. Several younger teens turned out to be amongst our hardest workers and most on-fire picketers, and the presence of three tall, sturdy older teen boys helped deter anyone who may have thought of disrupting our demonstration or harming us.
Reactions from the public varied. The majority expressed shock and horror that treatment such as our French Family suffered could take place in a Western "developed" nation. Some, especially Africans and Arabs, weren't surprised. "We know the French," they said, "and that's the way they are!" Some that had met us at the human rights conference offered donations for the Statements they took. Others hurried off when we tried to talk with them, mumbling under their breath that we were "a bunch of criminals". A few crumpled up the lit in rage. When one Frenchman waved his fist in the face of one of our adults, it looked like he was only restrained from hitting him by some invisible force. But again, these extremely negative reactions were the exceptions and only served to fan our flame and draw more attention to our protest. Thank You Jesus!
Throughout this week-long demonstration, we could feel The Family's prayers behind us and saw the Lord's hand at work for us day by day, winning us friends and influence, protecting us, and supplying our every need. Praise the Lord!
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On the Attack for Our Brethren in Argentina
The Family was galvanized into vigorous action with the shocking news of the arrest and detention of our Family members and children in Argentina. Below are accounts of just a few of the protest demonstrations and contacts made in many countries worldwide.
Tokyo Family marches for The Family in Argentina
From The Family in Japan
When we did our picketing in front of the Argentine embassy in Tokyo, media representatives turned out to cover the event. They were well-acquainted with us, many having become favourable toward us during a media storm which our avowed enemies had whipped up here some months earlier. As this demonstration was more low-key, however, reporters expressed disappointment that it wasn't the type of Family-style rally we had become famous for, with music, singing, speeches, etc. Police assigned to that protest also advised us that other methods and locales would be more effective.
We took all their suggestions and set our sights on the Shibuya area of Tokyo, where throngs of people fill the streets nearly every day. There was quite a bit of red tape involved in obtaining the necessary permits, but the Lord and perseverance prevailed.
The day before the march we prepared flyers and Statements in both Japanese and English, made placards and banners, faxed a special invitation to all the media, and rented a two-ton flatbed truck. Within hours, the truck was converted into a mobile stage. That same night, the Lord changed the weather dramatically, diverting a major storm which had been predicted to hit Tokyo on the day of the march. Instead, we awoke to beautiful sunny skies!
By 11 a.m., the day of our march, our meeting place in Shibuya was overflowing with 180 Family members. Well over 100 of them were under 21--young adults, teens and preteens. Off we marched three abreast to the small park which was to be the starting point of our march. Our column stretched for nearly 100 meters, forming a moving wall of placards, banners and sandwich boards.
Two television camera crews and a handful of news reporters were already at the park, awaiting our arrival. There were also a half-dozen policemen ready to instruct us on all the do's and don'ts of demonstrating in Japan. We tried to strike a happy medium between what we wanted to do and what they expected, and everything worked out great in the end. It wasn't that we didn't want to comply with all their regulations, but we felt strongly that we were there to create a stir in decrying the injustices done to The Family in Argentina, and in pleading for help for them. As we set out to do the job the Lord had sent us there to do, His Spirit interceded and worked out every detail. The police were very patient, God bless them!
Four spokespersons, three of whom were young people, and a few singers mounted the mobile stage. Everyone else formed curved lines which spanned the park--pickets, signs and banners aloft.
First, we sang "O'er Uncharted Seas!" Then we briefly explained the abuse of The Family's human and religious rights in Argentina. Next, two of our young people spoke up about the situation. They were terrific!--Real personal pleas from the standpoint of kids born and raised in The Family! No one could possibly doubt the sincerity of their heartfelt testimonies!
Then all 180 of us--those on stage and those in the park--knelt in prayer for our brothers and sisters in Argentine prisons and institutions. This Spirit-led move on our parts turned out to be a very dramatic scene which visibly impressed both the crowd which had gathered, and the reporters covering the event.
"Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace," we all sang the words of St. Francis, as a police car escorted us out to the circular march route which would take us one hour to complete.
Four big speakers on the rolling stage boomed out the musical backing tracks for 10 songs which we had selected for the occasion, among them "Onward, Christian Soldiers!", "Stand Up for Jesus!", "They Say a Man Can't Be a Christian!" and of course the song that became nationally known during our own persecution, "Jesus the Light!" Volume was one facet which wasn't covered by the endless regulations, so we belted'em out with all that we had!
"What's this?" a passer-by was overheard to say. "It gives me goose bumps all over my body!"
Along both sides of our singing, chanting, sign-waving column, about 20 marchers distributed flyers (10,000 in English and Japanese) to passers-by and curious crowds who were drawn to the scene. TV crews and groups of news reporters scurried up and down our procession, filming and interviewing us.
On we marched through the bustling and densely populated quarter until we arrived at the grand Hachi-ko square, in front of Shibuya Station. Suddenly it was as though all was motionless--the people, the cars, the commotion, everything. Swarms of shoppers and commuters froze in rapt attention as our Family song "They Say a Man Can't Be a Christian" shattered their ho-hum daily routines.
One reporter later asked, "How did you manage to plan for just the right song to always come on at just the right time and in just the right place?" Well, of course we hadn't been able to control all those details, but God had! He arranged every song, every action, every move and everything that was beyond our control. Praise the Lord!
When we returned to our starting point, we delivered a final speech and then did a special thank-you performance for the police. "We are very grateful for your service and support," we told them, and sang their favourite, "Jesus the Light!" one more time!
Picketing in Latin America!
From The Family in the Caribbean:
When 21 of us picketed for two hours in front of the Argentine consulate, we talked with the consul for an hour or so, who was very interested and encouraging. He said not to worry about The Family in Argentina, as it seemed that none of the charges were going to stick. Thank You Jesus! One man from Argentina asked angrily why we were attacking his country, as he is a personal friend of the president. One of us explained why, and the man said, "If your story is true, we [the people of Argentina] are in a lot of trouble!"
We received positive and powerful coverage on TV and radio. Just as we were getting our Home ready for a TV interview, we had a surprise visit from our police captain friend! He asked why his picture wasn't in our large photo display of our work, and said that for sure we should display his photo along with our other friends. As he was driving away, he turned on the loudspeaker in his car and called out, "Viva La Familia!"
Australian demonstration at World Cup playoff makes big news in Buenos Aires!
From Paul and Joy, Australia:
We demonstrated in front of the stadium when the Argentine football team played here! In a letter to the Argentine consul and the embassy we let them know that we were using this opportunity to expose the human rights abuses of the Argentine government in allowing this persecution of The Family there.
From The Family in Argentina:
Here in Buenos Aires, the demonstrations held at the soccer field in Australia were covered in the sports sections of the main newspapers, Clarin and Prensa. As so many people are devout followers of the Argentine soccer team, these pages were well-read that day. God's Truth is marching on and He sure knows how to get His message out. Praise the Lord!
News Reprint: (Clarin; November 1, 1993; sports section. Circulation: 800,000. Translated from Spanish.) "In the surroundings of the Sydney Soccer Stadium stood a group of the sect known as the Children of God with signs with demands like, `Religious Freedom in Argentina', `Better Conditions for 8 Missionaries Detained'. Some signs referred to Judge Marquevich, accusing him of being `corrupt' and an `executioner'. According to a pamphlet that the demonstrators distributed, `an eleven-year-old girl has been subjected to several brutal and degrading gynaecological examinations by Argentine doctors on order of Judge Marquevich.'"
Picket at Los Angeles Airport!
From The Family in Los Angeles:
Our picket in front of the Argentine airline at the airport was the most powerful yet!
Most people were sympathetic and about 200 people signed postcards to be sent to the Argentine government in favour of our cause. As one Argentine pilot filled out a postcard he whispered, "There are no human rights in Argentina!" A couple of times elderly men actually ran up to one of us requesting to fill out a postcard. It was very touching!
Argentine trade delegation reached in Hong Kong!
From The Family in Asia:
When John went to Macau for a few days, he heard about a large Argentine trade delegation coming to Hong Kong, including the minister of economics. He prepared media packages, including press releases, the "Church under Siege" tract and other materials, and was able to give them to many members of the delegation.
Picket results in favourable Spanish TV programs!
From The Family in Florida, U.S.A.:
At our picket we were interviewed by two Spanish-speaking TV stations. One is a local station, and did positive coverage of interviews with Ahlai and Daniel, who both speak Spanish. The other Spanish reporter was from one of the largest TV stations in the Spanish-speaking world. We were praying like a house afire when the TV crew was on their way to our Home here, as it is small and our members there had not had any experience in handling the media. Yet it was clean and neat, and the reporter, a well-dressed, cosmopolitan fellow, was touched and won over by our teens singing, our beautiful children, and the obvious dedication of The Family! Thank You Jesus!
Prayers and tears reported in South American TV news
From Miguel, Chile:
At one dramatic moment, when all the TV cameras were zooming in on our picket near the Argentine embassy, everybody knelt down in fervent prayer for our brethren in Argentina and the Spirit came down heavily! Several of the children and teens broke down crying as they were praying desperately. The camera crews fought to get close-ups of this scene! It was very moving! After that, the media were frantically trying for a chance to question our teens and preteens. They were especially interested in the younger ones.
Charity (13) of Ana, with a face full of tears, looked straight into the camera and said aloud: "I'm furious about what they did to my brothers and sisters in Argentina! I want to protest against such injustice! Do something about it!" God bless her and all the children for their boldness and conviction to stand up for the Truth!
After the prayer, Daniel gave an anointed speech denouncing the cruelties and injustice suffered in Argentina. He then called the media and told them he was going with a small delegation to the Argentine embassy to deliver a letter to the ambassador. Some of the reporters followed him and interviewed him after delivering the letter there.
At one point there were about 20 policemen, a police bus and several others mounted on motorcycles, adding to the drama of the protest! They were won by the Spirit as we witnessed to them later.
When the spot was aired on local TV it was powerful! The newscaster was very respectful, and the shots of The Family came out very well. Our young adults, teens, and preteens were shown singing and praying on their knees for The Family in Argentina, with a sweet shot of Mary (of Gallio and Taberah) on her knees in prayer, with tears streaming down her face.--And another shot showed Daniel really socking it to the public with a strong appeal for justice, exposing the witch hunt taking place in Argentina. Thank You Lord!
Protests in Brazil catch attention of Argentine President Menem
From The Family in Brazil:
When President Carlos Saul Menem of Argentina arrived in Brasilia we tried to do all we could to meet him personally, so we could at least give him a media package. However, the security was very tight at the airport and also at his hotel. Then a team went early to the place where Menem and Brazilian President Itamar were meeting. The Lord did a miracle in that the security guards let our brethren stay right in front of the road that the two presidents would soon take to go to the Brazilian Independence Day parade. When the presidents came out, the team lifted up banners with slogans about the police brutality and against CAN (Cult Awareness Network, the U.S.-based organization responsible for much of the persecution against us). Both Menem and Itamar slowed down as they passed and read the signs, praise the Lord!
The Jornal do Brasil, one of the most respected national newspapers, had a large article reporting on Menem's visit and the Independence Day parade that he attended with the Brazilian president. Yet our little team made enough impact with their banners and signs that this was also included in this article! It said: "As the presidents of Brazil and Argentina left the presidential palace for an open car parade on Independence Day, members of the religious group, The Family, were protesting against the imprisoning of their members in Argentina using banners and placards."
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Personal Meeting with Argentine President Menem!
From The Family in Japan
The Lord did a series of rather amazing miracles as Faithy and Seiko were not only able to speak with President Carlos Menem of Argentina at the press conference he held here in Tokyo, and give him a personal written message and literature, but were also able to attend the reception he held. Following is the full story...
Through the Red Tape Sea and Personal Words!
Hearing Menem would be holding a press conference, Faithy wanted to attend, but there were many obstacles. The conference was by invitation only and would be held in Japanese, and after calls to the foreign correspondents' centre, the situation seemed practically impossible--until the Lord miraculously intervened! He sent along a friend of Faithy's who phoned the Foreign Ministry and got permission for not only Faithy to get into the conference, but Seiko as her translator!
Before leaving, the girls came up with three specific questions to ask Menem during his conference. However, once there, though they raised their hands at each opportunity, the Lord didn't seem to lead that way, and we found out later He indeed knew best in not opening the door for them to ask these questions. Menem gave a 20-minute speech on Argentina and covered the changes from the old era till now.
When the floor was open for questions, amazingly enough, a Japanese reporter explained that he himself had been imprisoned in Argentina for five years during the military regime, and asked what Menem's stance was on this whole matter. It seemed the Lord had sent this man to set the stage for us. Menem apologized for all that had happened to this man, and for others who had suffered under the last regime. He went on to rather humbly explain that although Argentina has made progress economically, politically, and socially, there are still some areas that do need work, and he referred to freedom of the press and human rights.
After he gave his speech, Faithy and Seiko manoeuvred into position to greet him and give him our package of literature. A few days before, Faithy had had a fall and sprained her wrist, so her forearm was in a splint. When he greeted her, Menem expressed concern for her arm.
A Christmas Card!
Simultaneously, The Family was picketing outside the press conference, and was able to get copies of "The Dirty War" tract to all of the journalists. Shortly afterwards, Faithy and Seiko received a check from the Lord to try to reach Menem through his daughter, who had also travelled here with him. While getting a snack, they saw a Christmas card lying on a counter beside the telephone. This gave them the idea to present Menem and his daughter with a Christmas card, as they had regretted not including a personal note in the package of literature.
They proceeded to the hotel where the president and his daughter were staying, where they wrote a special message on a Christmas card. Faithy thanked him for the things he said about human rights and said we really appreciated his words and his stance in this subject. She wrote that because he noticed her injury, she felt he was a compassionate person, and that we hoped that he'd be able to help us.--Then she explained that The Family church in Argentina had suffered abuse of their human rights at the hand of Judge Marquevich, so we're appealing to him and trusting that he can right this wrong. She told him that our prayer is that The Family members suffering in prison will be released by Christmas.
In the meantime, Faithy and Seiko heard there had been a political upheaval in Argentina which affected an official who was travelling with Menem. Because of this problem, Menem's official trip to Japan was to be suddenly curtailed, and he and his daughter were leaving that night. Faithy and Seiko left another package of lit and statements for Menem's daughter at the front desk, where they expressed their concern that the president and his daughter wouldn't get their Christmas card in time. The card was then personally delivered to the president's door by a bellboy, who mentioned to our girls that Menem was presently at a reception he was holding at that same hotel.
A Warm Reception!
As they happened to find themselves at the location of the reception, the girls felt that they should at least knock on the door to see if that one would open too--despite the fact that it was strictly by invitation only, and was only attended by Japanese and Argentineans! When they asked at the door if they could enter, the Lord miraculously touched the heart of those in charge and allowed them to go in "for just a short while".--They ended up being the last ones to leave! Ha!
During the first part of the reception, Menem was busily engaged in conversation at the other end of the huge hall, and the girls were able to talk to a number of very influential people. Faithy had been burdened to talk to Menem's daughter personally, and sure enough, again it worked out almost effortlessly. His daughter moved to the side of the room where Faithy was standing and they ended up elbow-to-elbow. Faithy introduced herself and mentioned that she had sent a special Christmas card to her door, which contained a message she felt was very important for the daughter to read if she had a chance. The daughter was very warm and responded well.
Soon after, Seiko found that Menem himself was starting to move towards the door, and he moved right up in front of her. She reached out and took his hand as if to shake it, and with a translator translating from Japanese to Spanish, was able to express quite a lot in a short time as he kept moving slowly towards the door. While continuing to hold his hand, she told him that she appreciated the things that he said during the press conference regarding human rights and could tell from his notice of her friend Faithy's arm that he was a concerned man. She told him that the package that she'd given him early that morning was very important to her and asked him to please read it. During this time, his eye contact was very clear and warm. He seemed touched and he told her he would read it.
After he left, Faithy and Seiko continued to talk with other important folks at the function, actually until most had left. While talking with and witnessing to the hotel staff, all of a sudden they noticed that the staff were lining up in a straight line. Lo and behold, Menem and his daughter were at the beginning of the line, heading slowly towards the door, shaking hands with and greeting each of the staff as they left the hotel, and from there the country.
Quickly Faithy and Seiko lined up at the end of the line themselves--with the waiters and all! Ha! The daughter came through first, and saw Faithy, who asked if she had received the card. She said that yes, she had, and that both she and her father had read it together. Faithy and Seiko were able to tell them they were really praying for their work and their future, and expressed their love for them. Menem gave them each a kiss on the cheek, which he hadn't been doing to any of the others around. They felt this expressed acceptance, which was significant after the explicit message about The Family's plight in the card.
It seemed that the Lord led them to express love and faith to Menem, and appeal to his high ideals and wish to improve the lot of Argentina regarding human rights, rather than approaching him in a confrontational manner, which could have had the opposite effect. Greeting him warmly and positively, with real hope in his being able to do something to help, seemed to be the way the Lord led.
All this took place December 3rd, about ten days before our case was to be decided by the appeals court in Argentina. The Lord so orchestrated events and miraculously opened door after door, and we can't help but hope this encounter had some effect on Menem's personal stand towards our Family. Praise the Lord!
* * *
Democracy Day Demonstration Reaches Menem Administration!
From Mary and Tommy, Argentina
Friday, December 10th, marked the 10th anniversary of democracy in Argentina, and the whole country celebrated the event. More importantly, it was the 100th day that our precious children and brethren had been in bonds here. At Luna Park, the Argentine equivalent of Madison Square Garden, President Carlos Menem hosted an extravaganza. Former presidents of Brazil and Uruguay were in attendance. The most important officials of the country as well as the diplomatic corps were invited. We saw this as a golden opportunity to expose our mistreatment under the so-called "democratic" government.
We used all the signs we had made for other demonstrations, including three huge banners which read, "The Family Pleads for Justice!", "Stop Religious Persecution Now!" and "100 Days in Detention, Return Our Children Now!" We also prepared special signs for the event, such as "Democracy, Yes, But with Justice!", "All I Want for Christmas Is My Children Back!", "100 Days without My Children! Justice Now!"
When we arrived at the scene, the situation looked potentially explosive. There were police everywhere and mobs screaming in support of Menem and democracy. How would they react to our crashing their party? We looked around for others demonstrating against the government. We thought that surely the "Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo"--a group of women who have demonstrated at the plaza every Sunday since their children and grandchildren disappeared during Argentina's "Dirty War" of the `70s and `80s--would be there, but they weren't. And where were the other minority groups who are suffering under the present government? Lo and behold, there was no opposition in sight...except us!
We decided to avoid the main entrance where most of the common people were gathering, and set up at the side entrance used by VIPs, and where members of the press were waiting for interviews. Our three large banners and 12 hand-held picket signs dominated the corner. Each car had to stop at a police checkpoint before entering, so every Argentine official and foreign ambassador got a good view of our signs and banners and a "Dirty War" tract as they arrived.
Two television crews filmed our signs. One of them was from the station which led the smear campaign against us following the raids. The reporter from that crew was very touched, and interviewed several of the parents who have children in the institutions. He opened the story of our demonstration with this: "Inside [the building where Menem and other officials were preparing for the public function], Argentina celebrates the passing of 10 years of democracy; outside on the streets, The Family is protesting the treatment they have received in this democracy and the fact that they have been separated from their own children...." Powerful!
As they filmed our demonstration, several Family members knelt in silent prayer. Large banners above their heads displayed the message which was captured by their cameras.
Several men came out of the building, looked at our signs, and went back in. One man returned a few minutes later, and tried to determine who our spokesman was. Soon another man came out and said that President Menem was aware of our protest and invited us to come in and meet with two high-ranking officials of his government. There was a bit of confusion for a moment, as both men were actually making the same invitation, but one came from the President and the other from a government official. They asked that we put away our signs, but our spokesman suggested that they talk first.
As the police and press looked on, representatives of The Family were ushered in to a very plush office and received by the two top government officials. To begin, they commented that they had received letters from several other governments, appealing for an investigation into our situation. Our spokesman explained that although, as an Argentine citizen, he was concerned that the publicity surrounding our case was reflecting badly on Argentina, our Family around the world would not stop demonstrating until our children and brethren were released.
Mary gave an emotional, firsthand account of how her children and grandchildren had been taken from her in the raids. Both men seemed touched, and one said he would have a commission of lawyers, whose job it is to investigate alleged abuse by legal authorities, look into our case.
We had been trying to see these very men for the last three months without success. Then, after demonstrating with our humble signs, we met and talked privately with them for nearly half an hour!
Almost the moment that we put away our signs, Menem came out, entered his waiting limo and drove off. "Thou has given a banner to them that fear thee, that it may be displayed because of the truth" (Psa.60:4).
(Editor's note: On December 13th, the appeals court finalised their deliberations on the case, and in a thorough repudiation of Judge Marquevich's investigative procedures and misapplication of legal precedent, decreed that all Family members being held in Argentine jails and institutions be immediately freed! The few media organs that had supported the Family in our darkest moments were joined by the majority of others, who now began to publicize our side of the story in a favourable light! What a wonderful answer to prayer!
(Please keep praying for our Family in Argentina, that the Lord will help the long legal processes to come to an end, and that we will be completely vindicated. Thanks!)
A TRIBUTE TO THE FAMILY!
Angel (15, of Titus & Charity) wrote the following poem while in the institution in Argentina, to express her thanks for the Family's prayers and their fight for those in bonds.
Onward Fight!
Onward fight, ye Christian soldiers,
Adamant until the End!
Pressing on to Satan's strongholds,
The Christian faith defend!
Onward fight, ye Christian soldiers!
Do not fear their number.
Forward go, attack with strength!
Lies shall be torn asunder!
Onward fight, ye Christian soldiers,
Holding up our Saviour's name!
Although ye may feel small now,
You're in God's Hall of Fame.
Onward fight, ye Christian soldiers!
Look ye not at troubled wave,
For when Christ shall come in glory,
All His children He shall save!
Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family