FAMILY UPDATE NEWS! -- FOR FAMILY AND FRIENDS! -- JULY, 1994.

         "Ye are the light of the World. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in Heaven." (Matthew 5:14,16.)

         DFO. Copyright July, 1994, The Family, Postfach 241, 8021 Zurich, Switzerland.

         EUROPE

         Drug Addict Finds Healing and New Life in Jesus
         From Joshua, Peace and David: "Distributing videos in a small town, we came to the owners of a restaurant. As we talked with them, they told us about their eighteen-year-old son who had been addicted to heroin for half a year. As they explained their desperation, they broke down in tears. The boy had tried to quit four times, but couldn't. We told them that many of our members had also used drugs before they joined The Family, but were delivered, and that we believed Jesus could help their son too.
         "This couple was very happy at our offer to try to help their son, and he agreed to meet us the next day. When we returned, however, we were told that he had not taken any heroin all day and was in bed very sick with withdrawal symptoms. He was having terrible pain and just wanted to sleep, so we couldn't see him that night.
         "The next evening we met with the son and his mother in their apartment. The son is a real sweet young man and was very open with us from the start. After we talked a bit with him and explained what the Lord could do for him, he eagerly agreed to pray with us. We spent the rest of the evening talking with him. As the hours passed, his pains and other withdrawal symptoms lessened and then went away completely! Since that night, we've met with him almost daily, and he's so happy to be delivered from his addiction.
         "The boy's boss went to the restaurant to ask his parents what had happened to him. `He didn't make a 90 degree turn, but a 180 degree turn in his life!' the man said. This boy has been telling everyone about his miraculous healing, and is seriously considering joining The Family.
         "His parents are so thankful to us for helping their son, and have become very supportive of our work. They encourage their son to come frequently to our Home, as they appreciate the good influence his visits have on him. His mother marvels at the many ways he's changed since he got saved; for the first time in three years he has started to brush his teeth, take showers, eat properly, clean up his room and be loving to his parents. `Finally we are a family again,' she said.
         "On his own initiative the boy prayed with his father to accept Jesus. During a later visit, the father asked us to pray for him that he would be able to overcome his drinking problem."

         Open Door to Reach Bosnian Refugees in Slovenia
         The Family in Italy is working with a Catholic organization that ministers to the Bosnian refugees in Slovenia. Several Family teens and young adults attended a recent meeting hosted by this group to organize an upcoming visit to the refugee camps. The entire programme is being carried out by youth groups from local churches--from fund-raising to coordinating donations of educational materials and toys for the children in the camps. The other churches welcomed the Family's participation in this mission. (Editor's note: Family members are also independently conducting very successful programmes at Bosnian refugee camps in Hungary, and have been for the past two years.)

         Eastern European Mail Ministry Update
         We now have over 70,000 individuals and families from all over Eastern Europe and Russia on our mailing list. We have sent out over 400,000 letters to date!
         Hundreds of regular correspondents have sent heart-touching letters telling how The Family and Family publications have helped them personally.
         For example, a revival of Christian faith in a village in the Ukraine is being led by a man who gets our mailings; churches in Romania use our literature; a small group of Siberian Christians now call themselves "The Family" and say they depend on our publications in order to carry on their work.
         We also received a sweet letter from a young woman who lives in war-torn Sarajevo. The letter was passed on to us via the Red Cross and took several months to reach us. She said that she was writing in response to a Poster which someone had given her on the street. From her letter, we assume that our associate members in Sarajevo have received the packages of Posters we sent them, and that they are continuing to witness there.
         Since Russian TV stations began broadcasting the Kiddie Viddies, we have received thousands of responses from young viewers. We are now corresponding with them and their parents regularly, and sending them free Gospels and literature about the Bible.

         CHILE

         Boy Healed of Terminal Cancer
         From a Home in Chile: "We were asked to pray for a boy who had been diagnosed as having terminal cancer. On our first visit we prayed for his overall healing, and specifically for his lungs. His whole body was so swollen that it was difficult for him to breathe. He also received Jesus that day.
         "When we paid him another visit a couple of weeks later, some of our teens went with us and sang for him. We also prayed for him again.
         "After a few more weeks, the clinic sent him home, as they felt his condition was hopeless and they couldn't do anything more for him. We all kept praying for him during our Home's prayer time.
         "Miraculously, he has recovered and now carries on a normal life! When the new school year started, off he went just as any other boy. The last time we saw him we were amazed at the transformation that had taken place. It was like meeting an entirely different person! His hair has all grown back and he's full of life and spunk!
         "`The prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up' (James 5:15). Praise the Lord!"

         AUSTRALIA

         Melbourne Home Gets High Marks from Education Department
         The first visit to one of the Melbourne Homes by the Education Department went very well. (Editor's note: As part of the recent mediation agreement which brought to an end a two-year court battle between The Family and the State of Victoria's Health & Community Services [H&CS], the educational progress of children in our Melbourne Homes is presently being assessed by representatives from the Education Department. For further explanation of that court case, please see the June, 1994, issue of "Family Update News.")
         The inspectors were particularly interested in the Master Curriculum and Teachers' Planner, and commented that they were pleasantly surprised at the Home's well-organized and thorough programme. They also commended the teachers for striking a good balance between following their curriculum, and making allowances for the children to spend more time on the subjects and projects which most interest them. The Family-produced Childcare Handbooks drew special commendation: "This provides excellent summaries and jumping-off points for more detailed studies," said one inspector. "It would take [public] school teachers years to come up with something as useful as this!"

         INDIA

         Family Posters Help Slow Learners
         From a Home in India: "The principal of a prominent primary school we visited was very excited about our Posters. `One of my teachers has been begging me for more of your Posters,' he said. `This teacher has been using them with her remedial students, the ones with the most serious learning problems, and is having tremendous success!'"

         Psychologist Impressed with Family's Home Schooling
         Following a visit to a Home in India, a prominent psychologist is writing a thesis on the Family's home schooling for her laymen's journal, which is published in both English and Hindi. She also plans to use the Family video "Fantastic Friends" in her therapy classes.

         India Prison Ministry Update
         From Prem and Aaron: "A psychiatrist watched our musical performance at a large jail, then asked us to help in a rehabilitation programme which he conducts for inmates with drug addictions. We have now had three `movement therapy and drama' sessions with the 200 inmates, and they have gone very well. The inmates enjoy learning our action songs and really get involved in the skits. The doctor told us after one programme that he had never seen so much response from the inmates in the seven months he has worked with them. Previously, this programme has relied on professional drama teachers, but the staff now prefer our simple, personal touch which gets results."

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