VICTORIES OF 1996 AND PLANS FOR 1997!--By Peter DO 3102 1/97
Dear Family,
1. God bless you! Happy Birthday! Happy Anniversary! Mama and I hope you're enjoying the wonderful days of Feast celebration and that you're inspired and encouraged by all the Lord has done this past year, and in the two years since the implementation of the Love Charter. It's wonderful that we can celebrate not only Dad's and the Family's Birthday, but also the second anniversary of the Love Charter. Most wonderful of all is that we can celebrate the first anniversary of loving Jesus in a more personal and intimate way, as His loving and passionate Bride. Praise the Lord!
2. The Lord promised that as we love Him the way He wants to be loved, He will pour out His blessings like never before. He also told us that He would cause tremendous progress to be made if we were willing to implement the Charter. I want to tell you today that the Lord has kept His part of the bargain! If you have any doubts about this now, I venture to say that you won't by the time you finish reading this GN!
3. Mama and I were thrilled as we read over this year's end-of-the-year reports to see just how much the Lord has blessed the Family in every way. When comparing our statistics for the two years before the Charter with those of the two years after the Charter, it's truly amazing to see all the Lord has done through you, our wonderful Family. Let me share with you some of the phenomenal facts and figures, which I know will be an inspiration for you.
Witnessing and Outreach Progress!
4. Since preaching the Gospel is our main job, I'll start with our witnessing and outreach victories. Remember, these comparisons are between the two years before the implementation of the Charter and the two years since.
* Our total personal witnessing increased from 8.5 million to 11.5 million, an increase of 35%.
* Posters distributed rose from 9 million to 12 million, an increase of 33%.
* Video distribution rose from 161,000 to 216,000, an increase of 34%.
* Tapes and CDs distributed rose from 386,000 to 580,000, an increase of 50%.
5. All of this means that our total number of tools distributed has risen from 17 million to 23.4 million pieces, an increase of 38%! So we're witnessing to, distributing to, and reaching over one-third more people with the message since the Charter has been in effect!
6. We've also won more souls, though our soul-winning has not increased at the same rate as our other outreach has. We've gone from winning 1.2 million souls to winning 1.4 million, an increase of 16%. These stats may indicate that we need to be more faithful to draw the net when we are witnessing, in order to win more souls for the Kingdom. Please don't be shy! Whenever possible, bring the ones to whom you witness to a decision.
7. On a monthly basis, since the Charter began, the Family has distributed the equivalent of 12.4 million pages of lit a month on average, or 1.2 million pieces, which include 620,000 posters, 17,500 Living Waters, 31,000 tapes and 11,000 videos. We have personally witnessed 600,000 times each month, and won about 75,000 souls a month.
8. So as you can see, we've had wonderful growth in every area of our outreach since the Charter and the "Loving Jesus" revelation were implemented. We've become more fruitful, spread more Word, and had more spiritual babies. We're just exploding!--All because you've been faithful to love our Husband and obey the Charter, which He gave us. Praise the Lord! (By the way, the above statistics include all of the Family outreach, both that of DO members and TRF Supporters. Remember, we are all one Family!)
Changes in Home Size and Numbers
9. We've had a huge increase in the number of Homes since the Charter. By the end of 1990, the number of DO Homes had dropped to 240, and it stayed in that neighborhood for the next four years, reaching as low as 213 DO Homes at one point. Once the Charter was put into effect, however, the number of Family Homes began to explode as we opened many new and smaller Homes. At the time of the implementation of the Charter, there were 242 DO Homes. Now there are 641. That means that in just two years, 399 new DO Homes have opened--an increase of 165%! The number of TRF Supporter Homes has remained the same, at 550. We now have a total of 1,191 Homes around the world!
10. While the average TRF Supporter Home size has remained at 6.3, the DO Home size has dropped from an average of 37 to 15 people per Home--a 60% decrease! With the exception of a handful of Service Homes, there are no more blobs. Praise the Lord! The smaller Home size seems to make a considerable difference in our outreach, with people getting out more, increasing the Family's outreach by 30%. Again, obeying the Lord has made us much more fruitful.
Pioneering Miracles!
11. Another wonderful proof of the fruit of the last two years is that the Family has pioneered or re-pioneered and established Homes in 27 countries, places where we didn't have any Homes at the time of the Charter. At the end of 1994 we were in 52 countries; we now have Homes in 78 countries around the world! This means that there are now 50% more countries with Family Homes in them than prior to the Charter! These new countries include: Guatemala, Bulgaria, Croatia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Turkey, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Moldova, Nigeria, Kenya, Mauritius, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Ivory Coast, Nepal, Vietnam, China, Hong Kong, South Korea, New Zealand, and a few others. Some of these countries have had Family Homes in the past, but at the time of the Charter, there were no Homes.
"Consider the Poor" Victories!
12. Homes throughout the globe have taken up Dad's challenge to "consider the poor" by starting or continuing CTP ministries. Some of these ministries include: helping street kids in at least 14 nations; working with the deaf, blind, elderly and handicapped; coordinating and delivering humanitarian aid to a number of countries in the former Soviet Union, as well as to Bosnia and Croatia; holding seminars for children, parents, teachers and community leaders; ministering to the sick in hospitals; giving to and helping at orphanages and old folks' homes; helping in drug rehabilitation programs; ministering in prisons; juvenile homes and halfway houses; and giving aid--physical, spiritual and educational--to the homeless, drug addicts, unwed mothers, prostitutes and the poor.
13. Homes helped with disaster relief and humanitarian aid in countries which experienced disasters, such as the Ecuador earthquake, floods in Thailand, Hurricane Hortense in Puerto Rico, and the Valujet plane crash in Florida.
14. You're changing the world, one heart at a time! You're having a wonderful effect on the lives of millions. Best of all, you're not only helping to improve their physical lives, but you're ushering them through the door to Eternal Life where all of their needs will be met and their problems solved. Just imagine how wonderfully thankful those people are going to be for you when they come into the full realization of what you've done for them by showing them love and giving them the truth! All of Heaven must be overwhelmingly proud of you! I know that Mama and I sure are!
More Benefits of the Charter!
15. You've struggled through the many changes the Charter brought about. You've adapted and become more responsible, and as a Family, we're accomplishing more than we ever have before. You've also grown by leaps and bounds in the spirit!
16. We asked the CROs to share how they felt the Family has changed or grown in the last two years, and following are some of their observations:
* Because there are so many Homes now, many more people are being voted on to Home teamworks and are taking on other positions of responsibility. This includes quite a large number of our young people.
* Many adults who had never had an opportunity to be on a Home teamwork or to pioneer their own Home are growing under the challenge and maturing as they open Homes and take on the responsibility of helping to lead their Homes. Because they can't depend on the leadership in a large Home to solve all their problems and carry all the burdens, they're growing spiritually.
* Many are exercising their Right of Mobility and feel free to move where they wish. As a result, they're having to make their own decisions.
* Since we have more than twice as many DO Homes as before the Charter, and these Homes are smaller and easier to organize, many who were previously wrapped up in the management and administration of the larger Homes can now focus more on witnessing.
* With a greater number of Homes, we're able to reach more regions than ever before.
* People constantly comment that they enjoy being in a smaller Home where they can give more time and attention to their children, can better keep up with their scholastic requirements, and also go witnessing with them more.
* People have found it much easier and have felt freer to leave less fruitful ministries and fields to go on to more receptive, hungrier ones.
* People have learned to go to the Lord and the Word more for their shepherding, counsel and guidance. Without leadership as readily available, and with the Charter encouraging individuals to take more responsibility, people are being impelled to desperately pray for the Lord's help and guidance. They're reading the Word to find the answers they need, and they're exercising their own gifts of hearing from the Lord in prophecy.
* We now have smaller, but more nationalized, indigenous media teams in more countries.
Two Generations Working Together
17. It's been very encouraging to Mama and me to see so many of our young people being voted onto teamworks, as it shows that the two generations, younger and older, are working together as a team. It's not only happening on the Home teamwork level, but also in other levels of leadership.
18. We presently have eight second-generation CROs, 27 second-generation VSs, and seven second-generation VS trainees. In Mama's and my Home we now have seven young people (five SGAs and two YAs) helping out with various duties. In various other WS units we have about 20 second-generation pubs and staff helpers. The CRO offices and the NPCs also have numerous young people. In fact, some are composed of 50% young people. Our video and audio studios are also staffed by a majority of second-generation Family members.
19. I know the Lord is very pleased to see us all working together in harmony, and we pray we can continue to come together in such a way that there will be no gaps at all between the older and younger generations, as we are all one Family of God's children.
Leadership Meetings
20. Another major change that occurred is that both Gary and I have been away from home a great deal of the time holding meetings. I was gone almost half of 1996, and Gary has been away since March, except for a couple of short visits home. He is now basing out of the GP Pubs unit (GPU), helping to get that whole operation rolling.
21. The Summit meeting, which was held in March/April of 1996, was the first Summit to include young people. It was also the first to be videoed. Some of those videos have been shown to the majority of DO Homes and to many TRF Supporter Homes or brethren as well. We have received hundreds and hundreds of beautiful, heartwarming and touching letters and reactions from those who have had the opportunity to watch the Summit classes. Gary and I are so thankful, as we know you are, for Mama's faith and inspiration to video the meetings, as it has made it possible for many of you to participate in the Summit meeting.
22. The showing of the Summit videos resulted in the holding of a great number of meetings throughout the world. In many cases those meetings were the first time since the Charter for some people to get together with brethren from other Homes for fellowship, reading the Word, spiritual feeding and prayer.
23. I also held a series of meetings in the U.S. in September/October focusing on the need for each of us to be a bellwether for the Lord and how to accomplish that, and these were also videoed. The CROs now have those videos and are making arrangements to show them as well.
24. Another outcropping of the video-viewing meetings that the CROs hosted was that a number of JETT and teen meetings were held, which have greatly helped to strengthen our younger members.
Spiritual Progress!
25. One of the most important steps of progress of these last two years has been the widespread use of prophecy. We have been thrilled to hear that so many of you and your Homes are using this special "garment" on a regular basis, allowing the Lord to give you specific guidance for your particular situations. It gives Mama and me such a wonderful feeling to know that you are getting your instructions from the Lord personally and specifically.
26. We have such a peace knowing that no matter where you are, no matter what mission field you're on, no matter what difficulties you face, no matter what circumstances you're in, you'll be okay, because you know how to hear from the Lord, both through prophecy and through His written Word. As we proceed further into the Endtime, a connection with the Lord is the most important thing you can have! We're so proud of you for heeding the Lord's instructions to practice using this "garment" now, so you'll be ready in the future. God bless you for your obedience.
27. Mama and I are also very proud of you all for how you've grown in the spirit. You've had to make many more decisions on your own than in times past, and you've learned to look to the Lord for His guidance and direction. One of the objectives of the Charter was to encourage you to make your own decisions with the Lord's help, and to bear the responsibility for those decisions. To a great extent, this has been accomplished. It hasn't been easy for many of you, but it has caused you to grow a great deal. It has allowed the Lord to shepherd you personally, and He has been able to work in your life in new and wonderful ways. You have been making the transition from depending on local leadership to help you make personal decisions, to instead depending upon the Lord and His Word for guidance. This is a tremendous victory!
28. Of course, your entering into an intimate relationship with Jesus is the most wonderful victory that we can imagine! So many of you have written about how the "Loving Jesus" revelation has completely changed your lives. In your letters you have expressed how loving Jesus in this new way has deepened your relationship with Him. It has opened up a fresh, new channel for you to receive His love. This has been so wonderful, and is one of the reasons why He is able to bless us so abundantly and bring forth so much fruit and so many victories in our lives. God bless you for your faith to believe His Word and to act on it. It has made the Lord tremendously happy, and He has blessed us all accordingly.
Pubs Analysis
29. One of the blessings the Lord has showered upon us is the huge volume of Word that He has been pouring out to us. In the last two years we have published 114 GNs, which have consisted of 153 new Letters! Besides His Word in the GNs, He has also helped us pour out an abundance of other publications. The following is what you have received over the last two years: 44 FSMs, 15 HOPEs, 49 WNDs, 29 FARs, 12 Grapevines, 16 Prayer Lists, and a variety of other pubs for young and old. All told, over the last two years, World Services has published a total of 544 different publications totaling 9,367 pages. This comes out to an average of five pubs a week, 88 pages a week, or 13 pages a day that WS mailed to you. Isn't that amazing? The Lord has really been pouring it out to us!
30. You probably don't think too much about what goes into getting you your regular mailings, sort of like what Dad said about "that banana there" in "So You Want to Be a Leader" (ML #31:12). But I want to remind you that there are a number of extremely faithful and sacrificial brethren in WS who work very hard to produce this material. There are also equally dedicated brethren in the CRO offices who process your TRFs and make sure your mailings get sent to you, as well as the dear ones in the LIMs who help to produce the lit for some of you in your own languages.
31. We also want to give a special word of commendation to those dedicated few who do the NPC work. Each of our publications must be printed, collated, stapled, packaged and mailed. This is an enormous amount of work, which never seems to end. During the last two years, our faithful NPC and LIM brethren have printed and mailed out about 26 million pages to you--over a million pages a month on average! I hope you'll keep them, the staffs of the LIMs and the CRO offices, as well as our WS members in your prayers, as they sacrificially give their lives in service to you.
32. That goes for the SC/PPC personnel as well. They choose to devote much of their time to producing and shipping your tools, so you can do the job of reaching the world with the message. Please keep them in your prayers, and express your gratitude to them when you can.
33. And last but not least, please don't forget the Lit-Pic personnel, those who translate GP tools into various local languages. There have been new Lit-Pics since the Charter, including some that had been discontinued but are now back in operation: Hindi, Vietnamese, Arabic, Indonesian, Urdu, Burmese and Tamil!
34. In a Christmas message that Dad gave for our Home, he talked about all those who work behind the scenes to get you the Word. He said:
35. {\b \i (Dad speaking:) Y}ou help support the Word, and that's what it's all about! That's the sap that keeps the Family growing and moving and changing and winning and progressing and overcoming! It's the Word, the Word, the Word!--That's what you're helping to pour out. And that includes all the WS Pubs units, the new GP Pubs unit, and Family Care. That includes all of you who are helping to get out the Word--all the CROs, the NPCs, the SCs and all the XYZs--everybody that's getting out the Word! In fact, that includes the whole Family! The whole Family is getting out the Word, which is the most important thing there is--the pure Word of God!
36. It's like a pyramidical fountain! All of you there in your Home are at the pinnacle--the Word comes to you there and the water begins to flow outward, ever outward.--Outward to the units that prepare it, outward to the CROs and the NPCs, who send it outward to the Family, or outward through the SCs to the Homes, and through the Homes to the world. But it starts right there with you, and you all have a major part in it no matter what you do. And for that, I'm very, very thankful. (End of excerpt of Dad's message.)
37. {\b \i (Peter:) }As you know, the Lord recently led us to start publishing two new magazines, the Grapevine and the Free Zine. Both of these have been a real hit! The Grapevine is your forum for news and views, your vehicle for sharing the up-to-date Family news with others. It's wonderful to get the news to you while it's still fresh. Don't you enjoy hearing about all that the Lord is doing around the world? I sure do! The Free Zine is now a new favorite for our young people, as it's filled with exciting news and testimonies for them and by them. It's zany, but fun! We hope you young people like it. We sure do!
38. By now you should have also received the HomeArc program and CD, a wonderful Word study tool! If you use the HomeArc, it can revolutionize your Word studies. I especially challenge you young people to use it to look up all that Dad has said on subjects that interest you or that you need to read about. There is a wealth of Word at your fingertips in the HomeArc, and it's in a wonderfully easy-to-use format. It took our WS computer team years to develop this program and get the older pubs on computer, God bless them! Now, thanks to their faithful, diligent, hard work, you all have it available for your use. So please be sure you use it, because it can change your life!
Audio/Video Progress!
39. Another blessing from the Lord has been the "New Music for a New Day" progress! In the 16 months since we began recording FTTs, the studios have sent out eight FTTs, two other teen tapes ("Back On Track" and "Dropped Out"), two "Loving Jesus" tapes ("Open For Love" and "Desiring You") and one Scripture song tape ("Power Tower")--a total of 13 tapes, almost one per month!
40. Besides the teen music tapes, there have been a number of other tapes sent out to the Homes: "Might to Fight," "You Can Be Healed," "Sunbeams and Shadows," "Heavenly Sunshine," and 12 Story Time tapes.
41. In total you have received 30 audio tapes in the last two years, more than one per month! God bless our faithful studio personnel for their dedication and labors of love. They've really been working hard and pumping out the products since the Charter.
42. Another very busy group of people has been our video personnel. The video studios have been working faithfully and diligently to supply both videos for the GP and for our Family children and young people. In the last two years they have produced six Treasure Attic shows, one Fantastic Friends show, eight Family Fun shows, "Countdown to Armageddon," and a variety of other videos--25 new videos in all! That works out to be one per month for the last two years! God bless our video studio brethren! They really sacrifice to serve you!
Advancements in Our Family Education
43. Another step of progress has been the setting up of Family and Education Departments (FEDs) in the CRO areas. We're very encouraged about this, as the dear ones who help in these departments have been enthusiastically organizing, planning, praying and doing all they can to help take care of our families and children's needs, as well as help with your educational needs. Many FEDs are in the process of setting up FED Resource Centers to make Family and educational material available to the Homes. Others have produced a number of pubs themselves, including FED newsletters, verse booklets, activity pages, readers, etc. (Each FED also sends the material they produce to the other FEDs, so the different pubs can be made available in the other areas.) Some FEDs have sponsored and organized various meetings, seminars and camps; others have been researching recommended books and videos in the local language. Most FEDs are helping their areas obtain needed educational material, such as the Christian Light Educational (CLE) program, etc. Please remember to keep the FEDs in your prayers--they have a big job to do.
44. Speaking of children, the CLE program has been a big help in the education of many of our children. Again, these things are possible because some of our willing brethren have sacrificed to make it happen, in service to you.
45. Also, at long last, the Christian Vocational College (CVC) manual has been printed and sent to all areas. All of you teens and YAs should have received, or will soon receive, your own copies. The CVC manual is also available by order to any DO or TS SGAs and adults. You'll be happy to hear that each FED is also setting up a CVC office for their area, and is beginning to offer various services related to the CVC, such as processing the various CVC forms, issuing certificates, making student cards available, etc. We pray that you'll take advantage of this program, as it's a gold mine of Word and practical studies, covering every area of our Family life. If you haven't done so yet, we'd like to encourage you all to browse through the CVC manual, and start your vocational training through the CVC! (Certificates from the CVC are available to anyone 14 years old and up! No upper age limit!)
Babies and Betrothals!
46. Another blessing, one which will remain with us forever, is the 677 children that have been born in the last two years--eternal fruit! Quite a number have been born to our second generation, which means that our third generation is rapidly increasing!
47. We've also seen a very large increase in the number of those getting married. In the two years before the Charter there were 45 betrothals--only a little over 20 per year. This has more than doubled, as in the last two years there have been over 100 betrothals! Praise the Lord! One per week! Congratulations to all of you newlyweds!
Calming Down After the Charter!
48. A further victory has been an overall reining-in of some of the "Wild West" attitudes and activities which many got into when the Charter was implemented. As we mentioned before, it seems that quite a number of people got the wrong impression of what the Charter freedoms were all about. They seemed to think that the freedoms granted under the Charter were a license to throw the Word, love, witnessing, and in some cases, even common courtesy and common sense to the wind. Thankfully, the Lord, through His Word, has been emphasizing the need for shepherding, applying the Word, standing up for our convictions, and being a sample of the truth. Though there are still problems, the implementation of the VS program and the subsequent visits of the VSs have also helped to reinforce the standard of the Charter and the Word.
Fruit of the Prayer List!
49. A real "tap into the power" victory has been the multitude of answered prayers that have been gained in response to the Family Prayer List. There have been hundreds and hundreds of healings, victories of supply and protection, and a host of other answered prayers! Because we have called, He has answered! Praise the Lord! Your prayers have helped to change the lives of many, and have played a part in the healing of a large number of your brethren who were suffering. Thank you for your faithfulness to pray in response to those requests.
The Lord's Gift of Love to Mama!
50. A personal victory and wonderful miracle, which was brought about through your labor in prayer, was that Mama has felt stronger lately. Recently, for a period of time, she was able to use her eyes more than she had for many years, without getting headaches. I'll let Mama explain this one herself.
51. {\b \i (Mama:) }Recently Peter and I had to make a trip which lasted several weeks. I really dreaded the thought of having to travel and be out of my little "cave," as I was so weak and my eyes were so painful. The Lord assured me, however, that I should take it as a "faith trip" and trust Him, and that He would do the miracle to heal and protect me. I was encouraged not only by these Words from the Lord, but because He had already helped me to start walking and exercising again, whereas before I was so weakened that I could hardly get up from the bed without feeling dizzy.
52. Not long before taking this trip with Peter, I could hardly ride my exercise bike for more than a few minutes without feeling exhausted and risking getting a headache as a result. (Headaches are very problematic for me because they make my eyes much sorer, and that in turn drains my strength, which greatly hinders my work for you, dear Family.) But shortly before our trip, the Lord began to strengthen me. He stopped my very long period, and helped me to build up my strength little by little by taking short get-outs in the evening or at night, walking back and forth in the area that is outside our room. My eyes, however, were in terrible condition right up to the moment we left, so it certainly was a faith trip!
53. While we were away, even though my eyes continued to be quite sore, amazingly enough I was able to use them without getting headaches. I was able to go out with Peter for some meals and even long walks! For the first few days, my legs were so sore after walking that I didn't think I could get out and do it again, but as I continued walking, the Lord gave me the strength to walk for long distances, even up to over six kilometers a couple of times! We were also able to do some witnessing, which was a tremendous blessing! We passed out tracts to everyone we met.
54. Another miracle and answer to your prayers is that the Lord allowed me to go a complete month without a period, and when I had one, it was the shortest one in months. For many months I had been having very heavy, long periods--some lasting up to seven weeks--and sometimes I had only a few days or a week with no bleeding between periods.
55. At the beginning of our trip, I asked the Lord whether it would be okay for me to go out with Peter sometimes, when I felt up to it, and if so, how much I should use my eyes when we were out. He gave the following very encouraging message:
56. {\b \i (Jesus speaking:)} These beautiful eyes which I have created are like brilliant sapphires encased in diamonds! Is it not a sign of My love how you have been strengthened, how I have stopped the flow of blood, how you have been able to exercise, and how I am opening your eyes? Do you not see My hand on your life, how I am able to give weakness and strength equally in your life when I wish? Every breath is known, every hair, the life and death of every cell in your body.
57. There is not one time when you blink that it is not known to Me. I am opening your eyes that you may be encouraged, that you may share these eyes and looks of love with the one you love; that you may look and live and be encouraged by the things you see--My lovely creation that feeds your spirit, a look into the eyes of others that I love; that you may experience a miracle in your life, in that the eyes that were closed, I am now opening.
58. Look and see that I am good, that I love you, that I am with you, that I am caring for you, that I control all things in your life, that one week your eyes may be infected, and the next you are using them more than you have in years.
59. {\b \i (Mama:)} To explain the above sentence: Right before the Lord did this miracle to strengthen my eyes, I had contracted a secondary infection in my eyelids, which made my eyes even sorer than usual. The fact that they went so quickly from being so very sore to doing better than they've done in a very long time highlights all the more the tremendous miracle the Lord did! I'm so thankful for the Lord's tender love and compassion toward me!
60. {\b \i (Jesus continues:)} I am the fountain of health, and I am renewing your strength and your eyes to encourage you. Test Me as much as you want. Go where you would like to go, and see how I will bless your health, your strength and your eyes, for this is My gift of love to you, and how I wish to encourage you.
61. You are My darlings, My brides, My loves, and I wish to give you these rewards of health so you may enjoy each other and each other's company and each other's love. It gives Me great satisfaction to grant you this time of health and strength together.
62. So open your eyes and let them drink in, just as your heart loves to drink in My Words. Let your eyes and your heart be fed from My table of love and blessings that are spread before you in a bountiful feast. Feast your body and feast your soul on My love and goodness and supply and healing. Open these eyelids as you would open a jewelry box, and let these sapphires encased in diamonds shine! (End of message from Jesus.)
63. {\b \i (Mama:)} During the trip, my eyes were still quite sore, but the outstanding miracle was that my using them much more than usual did not result in headaches, as was the case before. I was on the verge of a headache several times, but the Lord kept me. This was a great joy and relief to me. It was a great blessing for me during this time to be able to enjoy the sight of the Lord's creation, to look into the eyes of dear Peter when we were together, to see the faces of those to whom we witnessed, and even, upon coming back from the trip for the week of our Christmas activities here in our Home, to enjoy more fellowship with our loved ones.
64. It was a wonderful love gift from the Lord, and even though it seems as though it was temporary, I am so greatly encouraged that the Lord made all of this possible. Perhaps He will do it again, and more permanently, as you continue to pray. I can't thank you enough for praying so desperately for me year after year, and especially in response to the timely prayer request that was published a few months ago. Even the timing of that special prayer request was a miracle, as the Lord knew you would receive it just in time for your prayers to take effect for our trip.
65. The Lord explained in prophecy that He can give me strength or weakness, depending on what I need at the time and what He knows is best. This recent miracle is a good example of how the Lord is able to give me at least partial healing when I really need it. I probably could have managed on this trip without the Lord healing my eyes. I could have carried on as I usually do, keeping my eyes closed most of the time, staying in a darkened room, and not witnessing or participating in Peter's outside activities so much. But in this case, the Lord wanted to give me this time of health and relief from headaches as a token of His wonderful love.
66. Thank You, Jesus, my sweet and precious Husband and Lover!--And thank you, my dearest Family, so very much for your love and prayers! "Effectual are the fervent prayers of David's children!" I would appreciate it very much if you would please continue to pray for my complete healing. Thanks! I love you! Love, Mama.
Update on Family Finances
67. {\b \i (Peter:)} On the financial front, the overall income at the Home level has risen 30% since the implementation of the Charter. This phenomenal increase is undoubtedly the Lord's blessing on the Family for your increased witnessing. This rise in Family income has meant that your tithe to WS has also increased 30%, which has been a tremendous help in making it possible to publish more GNs and other pubs, produce more audio and video tapes than ever before, pay for the CRO offices and visitation, and support missionaries in pioneer or difficult fields where the Homes are unable to raise their own full support.
68. While the 30% increase in the tithes to WS has made a big difference, there has been a substantial decrease in gifts and offerings. While the tithe income has increased, so have WS expenses, to the point that the tithe income barely covers the monthly outgo. If you wonder where all of the funds are going, just look back at the increase in the amount of material WS has produced--the pubs, the audio tapes and video tapes that have been sent to you over the last two years. Add to this the fact that our total number of Homes has increased from around 790 to 1,190, which means there are hundreds more mailings, hundreds more audio tapes, hundreds more video tapes, etc., to be sent out. All of this has greatly increased WS's monthly expenses on your behalf. More Homes means more individual mailings, which greatly increases the postage costs. Also, some items are sent one per Home, so the greater number of Homes increases the production costs of such items.
69. In the past, though the monthly tithes were less, the gifts and offerings were much higher. When someone received an inheritance or some other windfall, they generally gave a large portion of the funds to the Family through WS. This made it possible for WS to give to the Family in a number of ways, including audio and video tapes, pioneer gifts, and other special services. The fact that these gifts and offerings have decreased makes it very difficult for WS to continue pouring out as much as it has recently.
70. If it had not been for some special gifts given by some of our most faithful donors, we would not have been able to begin work on the GP Pubs unit, nor could we continue producing GP audio or video tapes. While we're very thankful for your continued giving through your monthly tithe, we ask that you please also be sure to give of any abundance that the Lord has blessed you with. Remember, when you give to WS, you're giving to the Lord and the whole Family. WS uses all of the funds which come in each month to serve you. So please be faithful to give. (If you have time, you might want to read the Letter Dad wrote on this subject while he was with us, his "Dream About Finances," ML #2937, GN 604.)
71. One tremendous victory on the financial front has been the Family Aid Fund (FAF). It's been a phenomenal success, and without this fund it would not have been possible to supply each of the new Homes which opened in the last two years with HER funds, nor with a pioneer gift. The following report was written for you, our dear Family, by our faithful finance man:
72. The Family Aid Fund began in May 1995, one month after the Charter was implemented, and it has been in operation for 19 full months as of the writing of this report, November 1996. During this time period, the FAF has given a pioneer gift and HER funds to virtually every new DO Home that has opened up, as well as supplied tool funds to every new DO member, and baby bonuses to the parents of every baby born in the DO Family.
73. This represents a huge amount of funds. The FAF was originally kicked off when, after a Home referendum, all of our worldwide Homes agreed to turn in three-fourths of their HER reserves. Also, WS passed on some large windfalls to this new venture. The funds from these two sources established a financial base for this aid and emergency fund. Also, as you all know, for these 19 months all DO Homes have donated 1% of all of their income, and WS has donated 10% of its income. Here is what the FAF has accomplished:
* HER funds were given to 426 new Homes.
* Pioneer gifts were given to 487 new Homes.
* Home loans were given to 357 Homes.
* 89 Homes were reimbursed for legitimate expenditures from their HER funds.
* Tool Fund gifts were given to 795 people.
* Gifts were given to 34 people or Homes to cover emergency and needy situations, such as those involved with the Austin accident.
* 327 Baby Bonuses were given out.
74. This comes to a grand total of 2,515 gifts over the 19-month period, or 132 gifts a month.
75. The Family Aid Fund has been very active and has supplied a lot of funds and aid to you, our DO Family. There are probably only a handful of Homes in the Family which have not directly benefited from the FAF in some way. This is your money at work, helping the Family! None of this money has gone to the administration of the FAF or other aspects of the Family; it has gone directly to you, to help you as much as it could. So when you read that the Family has opened Homes in 27 new countries, and 399 new Homes since the Charter, please know that you and your FAF donation have made all of this possible. Every time a new baby is born, know that your money is helping to supply that baby with a gift. Know that every time a new Home is opened, you are donating to supply a pioneer gift and HER funds for that Home. (End of portion of report from WS finance man.)
76. {\b \i (Peter:) }Isn't it great to see how God's financial plan of Acts 2:44 and 45 works so well? When we all share what we can to help supply the need of others, the Lord mightily blesses. By your Home and WS giving extra, it has made it possible for the whole Family to benefit. You never lose by giving!
77. So as you can see, the Lord has blessed the Family at large in many ways for our obedience to His call to love Him in a more intimate manner, as well as for our willingness to go through the many changes that were brought about because of the Charter. The amazing thing, too, is that the victories and progress that I've mentioned are only a small portion of all that the Lord has done in these past two years. (For more details on the Family's accomplishments this year, please see the Family's "1996 Annual Activity Report.")
78. Every Home has experienced miracles, gone through changes, gained victories, made progress, won souls, and influenced the lives of thousands of people. Your Home has helped to change the world!
79. Every person has grown, overcome battles, won victories, said yes to Jesus, and been used by the Lord to accomplish His will. You have developed a deeper personal relationship with the Lord, your Husband, as you have loved Him intimately as His Bride, which is a tremendous victory.--And as you continue to love Him and obey His Word, He will continue to pour out His blessings upon you as never before.
Plans for the Future!
80. The Lord has many new victories in store for us in the year ahead. As we continue to follow Him, He continues to lead us in the direction of His perfect will. I want to share with you some of the things that the Lord has led Mama and me to plan for this next year, some of which are already in the works.
* In-House Books and Publications
81. In the last few months of 1996, our WS publications units went through some major revamping in order to streamline their productions to allow them to accomplish more with less personnel. The reason for making these changes was twofold: first, to free some of our writers and other personnel to help at the GP Pubs unit; and secondly, to make it possible to produce more children's pubs. I'll talk more in a minute about the GP Pubs unit, but first I want to explain the vision for our children's pubs.
82. During the last part of 1996 the Lord highlighted the needs of our JETTs and other young people. He showed us the importance of doing all we can to feed them the Word. It has become increasingly clear to all how important it is to pour into our younger people, and how without the Word, personal attention, shepherding, and the excitement of personal witnessing, our young people do poorly. They become bored, dissatisfied, and are more inclined to become worldly, especially if they live in affluent countries or areas like the U.S., Australia, Western Europe and Japan.
83. In order to help supply more Word geared towards our JETTs and younger children, we have commissioned our Family Care publications team (FC) to produce more pubs for this age group, with an emphasis on the New Wine. It's our hope and prayer that Family Care can take the appropriate portions of the new GNs and put them into more HOPE TKs.
84. We also hope that the Free Zine is filling the need for the young people to have their own magazine, one that is geared to their likes, language and interests. Of course, the HOPE was a wonderful pub, and this is not to say that the HOPEs that were published are now old hat. They deal with some very important subjects that are still relevant. But it's nice to have a change, so with the help of our young, new-bottle Zine team, we put a new, more modern "face" on our young people's pub. The Grapevine is also a vehicle to help the younger ones get the vision for all that the worldwide Family is doing, so they will understand that they are part of this mighty work of God.
85. We also plan to possibly reprint, finances permitting, some of the Kidz True Komix volumes and Kidz mags, as there are so few of them available for our children to read. We'd also like to publish, in book form, all of the Hope TKs and MLKs that have come out to date, many of which you may no longer have copies of. We want to do our part in helping to strengthen our children by making the Word and pubs more available to them! But even this is not enough. You will need to make it a priority to make sure they're getting enough Word time, shepherding, inspiration and personal witnessing if you want them to grow in the spirit and to become sold-out, on-fire disciples. So please do your part! Start today! Tomorrow will be too late!
86. Our Family Care publications team is also doing all they can to publish more MLKs for the children. FC also hopes to produce more Kidz Mags, activity pages, etc., for the children. Please keep them in your prayers, as it's going to be a very big job to accomplish these different goals.
87. Our second-generation mothers and fathers have been requesting that we reprint a number of our past children's publications which are no longer available, in order to help them with the raising of their children. Lord willing, and finances allowing, we are aiming to print as many books (both reprints of past books, and new books) and other pubs geared to new parents and children as possible.
88. Besides books for children and parents, we hope to publish a number of "Lifelines" in order to get nearly all of the loose GNs in book form. Also in the book line-up are Daily Breads 11 and 12 and some other devotional books.
89. If we accomplish these goals, it will mean publishing about 12 books this year. However, to accomplish this we will need mega-money, as printing and shipping books is very expensive. Please pray that the Lord raises up these funds quickly so we can begin getting these books to you. If the Lord brings a windfall or any excess of funds to you or your Home, He may have done so to help supply this need for the Family, so please give. Even if you can't give a large amount from a windfall, please remember that smaller gifts are important too! Don't think that just because you can only give a little that it's not going to help, because everyone's little gifts, when added together, make a big difference. Comparatively speaking, there are few windfalls that come in; therefore the Lord uses both the widows' mites and the large gifts to make up what is needed to fulfill His plan. Thanks!
* Mass Marketing of Tools
90. Another main emphasis for this year is getting out our wonderful outreach tools in a much greater way. For the last few months, the GP Pubs unit has been laying the groundwork for the mass marketing of some of our videos in the hopes that it will make it possible to reach millions more than could ever be reached one on one. Our videos are wonderful, but so few people ever have the chance to see them compared to how many could if they were available in stores and other outlets. In order to accomplish this mass marketing venture, the GP Pubs unit folks have had to do a great deal of legal research. Hopefully, once this new method has been pioneered, it can be implemented in more countries around the world.
91. We believe that mass marketing our videos will help make them a household word, so that when you approach someone with the videos, they will recognize them, as they will have seen TV and magazine advertisements about them; thus, it will make your video distribution much easier. At the same time, the videos will be available through System outlets, allowing many people who will never meet a Family member to obtain them. God willing, this will make it possible to reach more people, get out more message, and bring in more income--both to your Homes and to WS.
92. The benefits of mass marketing are many. It will allow more videos, tapes, books, etc., to be distributed, and in places and countries where we have little or no representation. Plus, more people will know about our products, which should increase the demand even at the one-on-one level, as people will know about the tools, will have accepted them, and will be more aware of their value. So hopefully mass marketing should increase our distribution of all types, and ultimately increase the finances for the whole Family.
93. This should allow WS to increase its services to the Family, and hopefully make it possible to give some direct aid to the Homes. We can't tell at this time exactly what direct aid we may be able to give, but some possible ideas are the following: subsidize tool prices, which will make the cost of outreach tools much lower; help toward the cost of the CLE or other home schooling courses; give single moms a monthly gift, and other such programs. Of course, what financial help we're able to give will be determined by how successful the mass marketing of our tools is. At this point it's just in the early pioneering stages, so please pray that it comes to fruition.
94. This is a slow process, as it is for any company that makes such a major change in its marketing strategy. It's requiring a lot of legal work and even some changes on some of the videos, so it will be quite some time before it brings about any benefits either to WS or the Family at large. But we believe that it will be well worth the investment of time, effort and personnel, and we appreciate your desperate prayers for this project.
* New GP Books in the Works!
95. Of course, those at the GP Pubs unit haven't forgotten about the publishing of books, but because GP books have to be created from scratch, as opposed to some of our videos that are already available for mass distribution, it will take some time before our first full-length books are ready to mass distribute. The "Who Said They're Dead" book and the other "Celestial Interviews" books are still in the works. The slowdown is that there are some potential legal problems before we can publish these books, so we're having to proceed cautiously. We hope to get at least the first book of this type out within the next six months.
96. Publishing and distributing books via System channels is a long, complicated, drawn-out affair--a process which we're still learning about. We are seeing the struggles that unknown authors face when trying to learn the ropes and gain a foothold in the publishing world. The GP Pubs unit is working toward this goal, and we hope to see some books in the shops in the future. But rather than wait until we're able to go the slow, circuitous route of System publishing, the brethren at the GP Pubs unit are working on a number of smaller booklets which they hope to get to you very soon, to be used as new distribution tools. These booklets cover current issues that we feel will be of great interest to the public.
97. The GP Pubs unit has tallied the results of the surveys they received back from you, and using these results as their guideline, are presently working on four new booklets for GP distribution. They are sticking with the subjects that won the most votes from our Homes worldwide, but after much prayer and counsel, are going to be using largely new material for the content, not the old Treasures articles. The reason for this is that the Treasures articles, which are excellent follow-up material for saved Christians, are not necessarily designed for GP consumption by those who don't yet know the Lord or have an understanding of His Word and ways.
98. The first batch of booklets presently in the works, which the GP Pubs unit hopes to get to the printer by early March, are on the following subjects: (Please bear in mind that these titles [EDITED: "not topics"] are not final, so could possibly change.)
1.) Pulling Through--How To Make It Through Difficult Times: An encouraging and inspiring booklet to give to anyone who is facing personal hardships or difficulties in their life.
2.) Know Your Future: A seriously upgraded and updated "Signs of the Times" tool, using '90s facts and stats to prove that we are indeed in the time of the end.
3.) Heaven-bound--Looking Forward to a Thrilling Life After Death: An inspiring booklet to comfort those who are near death, showing what glories the Lord has in store for His children. Also a great encouragement to those who have recently lost a loved one.
4.) The Secrets of Successful Child Training: The first in a series of booklets offering invaluable counsel and tips for parents and children's care-givers.
99. Next, the GP Pubs unit will work on some book-length projects which can be distributed, God willing, by both the Family and System distributors. So please pray for them in this, especially for the few writers and editors who are working on these projects. It's a huge job that they're undertaking, and it's going to take quite some time before we see the fruit of their labors.
* New Fundraising Method
100. Besides book publishing and mass marketing, the GP Pubs unit is also pioneering a new method of fundraising through which we hope to be able to more easily receive large donations. At this point we don't want to get into all the details of this project, as again, it involves a great deal of legal work, and it's only in the pioneer stages and will be quite some time before it bears fruit. If it works the way we believe it will, then God willing, it should initially finance the publishing of our GP books, and also should help to finance our missionaries on poor fields, and even make it possible to give financial gifts to Homes who need funds to help with their CTP and other ministries.
101. If we find this new method of fundraising works in the country we're trying it out in, then hopefully it will work in other countries as well. Please pray for this pioneer venture, as it portends to be a major help financially, one which could make it possible to ease a great deal of the financial load.
102. It's our prayer that the Lord will use these various methods to bring in more finances to the Family. Please make it your prayer as well. Pray especially for the GP Pubs unit and those involved in pioneering these new methods and ideas. It's painstaking, time-consuming work for them as they pioneer not only the methods, but the legal side of things too, which is very delicate and complicated.
103. The kind of work that the GP Pubs unit is involved in at the moment is clearly described by Dad in "So You Want to Be a Leader," which says: "Behind every great creation, whether of God or man, there had to be worlds of work, planning, preparation, designing, invention, discovery, exploration, organization and cooperation, in order to produce the finished product--the thing that's seen--which does not begin to reveal the vast unseen labor and the multitudes of laborers behind it!" (ML #31:16).
104. So please do keep them in your prayers as they are working to make things better for you. Mama and I are really proud of them, as it hasn't been easy, but they're fighting day in and day out to accomplish what the Lord has shown us to do. The Enemy is fighting them hard, as he knows what great good will come from the fruits of their labors, but we know that with the Lord's help and your prayers, we will be the victors and make the progress we desire!
* Other Coming Attractions!
105. Coming soon, God willing, will be a newly reprinted Love Charter with around 40 amendments. As you may recall, at the time the Charter was first published we said that as we began to use it, we would see some things that didn't work so well or that we might think should be done differently. Many of you have written us with your ideas, suggested changes and additions. It's been great to get your feedback and to have your participation in making the Charter even better.
106. For the past year your suggestions have been prayed over, analyzed, discussed and agreed upon with all the CROs, and some of them have been included in the amended Charter. These are not earthshaking changes, but are generally just modifications or further clarifications of what was originally included in the Charter. I suggest, however, that you read the reprint of the Charter carefully, because though the changes are relatively small, they're very important, and we believe they'll help to improve the quality of your lives.
107. Another step forward this year will be the changing of the names of our DO and TRF Supporter members. In order to reflect our efforts to bridge the gap between our DO and TRF Supporter members, we felt a name change was in order. We are planning on changing the name of our DO members to "Charter Members," or CMs for short. We hope to change the TRF Supporter name to either "Partner Members," PMs for short, or "Fellow Members," FMs for short. Because we had two good possibilities for a new name for the TRF Supporter members, in January we sent out a poll to the TRF Supporters asking them which name they prefer, Partner or Fellow members. We're just getting in the results, and when we tally them up we'll let you know the outcome.
108. Besides the goals we're trying to reach in our WS publications for children, the printing of books for the Family and for the GP, and the mass marketing and the new methods of fundraising, the Lord also has a flood of New Wine to pour out to us all! As fast as we've been pouring out the Lord's Words, still the vats are full! He keeps pouring it forth like never before. Lord willing, this year we hope to publish GNs on the following subjects: Shepherding JETTs/junior teens, backslidden teens, how to overcome doubts about prophecy, counsel on worldliness and System jobs, thrilling insight into the Cathars of old, the uniting of the two generations, single moms, healing, jealousy, loneliness, martyrdom and more! (The above list does not necessarily represent the order that these GNs will be sent out, as that has not yet been determined. Plus, these are the subjects we have on hand and hope to publish as of now--no telling what else the Lord will give!)
109. Besides the abundance of Word and other publications, we expect that there will be a number of new videos produced both for the GP and the Family, lots of new FTTs, as well as new GP tapes. We're praying that our studios will also be able to find the time to record some children's song tapes.
110. We're also praying that the Lord will make it possible for the various areas to hold more meetings, especially for our JETTs and junior teens, as it seems to benefit them so much. I will probably travel to some of the CRO areas this year as well, which hopefully will mean more video classes which you'll be able to see. The Lord has not yet made it clear which areas I will visit.
Message from Jesus About 1997--The Year of Fruition!
111. Of course, I have only been sharing with you the plans and goals of WS, but the Lord doesn't limit His blessings upon the Family to those which He pours out through WS. He pours out His blessings on every Home and every individual. We believe we'll see marvelous victories in every Home and in the lives of every Family member this year! We believe we'll see us witness more, win more, distribute more tools, and affect the lives of more people than any year before. We believe by the end of this year we'll see many new countries pioneered--countries that have never had the Words of David. We expect that the works in the countries which have been pioneered recently will begin to flourish. We believe that Homes everywhere will begin to experience more and greater answers to prayer, and miracles of healing, supply and protection. We will see wonderful personal victories won!
112. We believe we'll see great progress this year, as the promises the Lord has given will be fulfilled! We believe this year will be a wonderful year! We believe it because the Lord has said so!
113. Mama and I were praying one morning before the end of last year, asking the Lord an unrelated question, when He punched through and told us about what was in store for this year. We thought that message would be a fitting end to this Letter, as it sums up the Lord's promises for the new year ahead.
114. {\b \i (Jesus speaking:)} You wonder what is ahead for you in this year to come. I say to you, there are many great blessings ahead! Many great seeds that have been implanted shall come to fruition in this year ahead. You shall see the fulfillment of many of My promises that I have promised unto you--both personal promises and promises to all of My children. The things that you have put your hand to, that I have guided you and directed you toward, shall begin to bear fruit, and you shall see that My hand was in them.
115. You shall see that My voice has led you in the proper way, and you shall see that the fruit it shall bring forth will be the fruit that I have ordained and that I wish to pour forth upon you--the fruit of My blessings, the fruit of My finances, the fruit of My love, the fruit of progress. You shall see it all, and you shall stand back and marvel and say, "The Lord hath done great things for us, whereof we are glad!"
116. I will not fail in any of all My good promises! I have promised you that I would bless you for your love for Me. I have said that I will be as a king unto you, as a rich man who pours forth abundant blessings upon you. I will do this in this year to come, and you shall see it and you shall know and you shall marvel. You shall say, "This is the thing the Lord hath done. Let us rejoice in it and be glad!"
117. Hear My voice and know that the blessings that come forth unto you are blessings that come because of your obedience and your love and your humility, because you have taken Me into your arms and into your bed, allowing Me to come in unto you as a Husband, to love you and to fill you with My seeds. I will pour forth My blessings because of this--because of your faithfulness, your faith, your yieldedness, your willingness, your obedience, because you have believed and acted upon My Words.
118. Oh, this brings Me such great joy when My children listen to Me, and when they hear My voice, and when they do what I say! It is then that I am able to have great influence in their life and play a great part in their life in a way that they know and understand and acknowledge. Thus they praise Me for it, for they know that it is I that directed them, led them and guided them.
119. But if they come not unto Me consciously, if they do not cry out to Me and hear My voice and give Me time to speak so that I can show them what to do, then they do not see so clearly all that I have done. I still do things in their lives, but they do not see them as clearly, and thus they do not praise Me and thank Me in the same way. Thus I am not able to pour forth more blessings, for they do not open the channel of praise which allows My blessings to pour forth upon them.
120. It is important for them to stop, to hear My voice, to acknowledge Me, and to let Me direct their paths so that they will know that the fruit that comes forth--the good things, the blessings--are because they have done the things that I have told them to do. When they see that, they clearly know that it is not they who have done it--not their works, not their initiative, not their understanding, but Mine. It is I that have poured forth these things.
121. This is why I cannot bless those who do not seek Me and come before Me for guidance and direction. I cannot bless them the same because they do not give Me the glory in the same way, for they do not see so clearly how My hand has worked, how I have clearly led them, guided them and directed them. Instead they bypass some of these things and do not realize how I have worked in their lives, and how the spirit helpers have worked in their lives.
122. But you have been coming before Me and seeking Me and hearing My voice, and I have poured forth My direction, My guidance, My Word, My instruction, My feeding upon you. You have been faithful to pour this out, to pour it forth unto My children, and they have been faithful to imbibe it, to live it, to let it become part of them. Because of all this, great praise has come unto Me, and because of this--because of the love that you have given unto Me, the praise and the honor and the glory that you have bestowed upon Me--I will fulfill My promises unto you by pouring forth My blessings in great abundance upon you!
123. So do not fear! Be not afraid for that which is ahead, for I will bless and pour forth in the time that is ahead. I have said that these are the days of preparation and that the dark days are ahead, and they are. The dark days for the world, the dark days of tribulation--all of these things shall come upon the Earth in the days ahead. But first I will pour forth My blessings upon you in a tangible way that you can see and feel and understand. Thus will it increase your faith as to the promises that I make unto you, so you will know that I am a faithful Husband who keeps His word, and who pours forth as He says He will do, when He says He will do it.
124. Know that there is much in store ahead. I will not lead you astray. I will keep you moving in My direction as you keep seeking Me. As you, My queen and My king, you who feed My children, seek Me, I will pour forth and give you the guidance and direction you need.
125. And for each of you, My children, I will do the same in your own lives and Homes and areas, if you will but seek Me, hear My voice, cry out unto Me, and give Me praise and honor and glory and thanksgiving for that which I do. I will lead you and guide you clearly so that your time will be well spent and not wasted, so that you will not be off on tangents doing that which is of naught.
126. If you will but seek Me, I can lead you and guide you completely within My will, and your lives will be so full of fruit, so full of My will, so full of the accomplishments that I do through you, because you will not waste your time being out of My will doing that which is less. Instead, you will be doing that which is the greatest that you could do--the will of God.
127. All of this is within your grasp. All of this is within your hand. All of this is available to you if you'll just stop, if you'll come before Me, if you'll seek Me, if you'll cry out to Me, and if you'll give Me your ear to hear My voice. If you will receive it in faith, if you will apply it, if you will do it, and if you will live it, you will be blessed beyond measure! This is My promise to you. In the year ahead I will pour forth great blessings and great abundance upon you, if you will do these things.
128. Prove Me now herewith, and see if I will not pour out My blessings upon you--blessing upon blessing upon blessing! The key is to obey. To stop, to look, and to listen. To listen to My voice and to obey that which I say to do. To listen to the voice of My Word--that which I pour forth upon you in great abundance as a great flood! Take it in. Drink it in. Do that which it says to do, and take time. Take time as a Home. Take time personally and individually to hear My voice. Seek Me with all diligence, that you may receive of Me that which I have to give to you personally, and that which I have to give to you as a Home.
129. If you will do these things, I will bless you more than you have ever been blessed before, and you will partake of this year of fruition. If you feel you have been fruitful in the past years, I say unto you, you shall see even greater fruit in the year ahead. So come unto Me, My children. Receive of Me. Give yourselves unto Me. Give Me your love, your praise, your thanksgiving, your honor, your glory. And I will give you My love, My seeds, My blessings, and the treasures of the Spirit!
130. I have much to pour forth unto you, much to say unto you, much to do with you. I have many new ways to lead you and to guide you. I have many new ministries to open up to you. I have many new souls for you to win. I have many new lands for you to conquer. I have many new and exciting and wonderful things to do through you and with you and by you--all of which is at your hand, all of which is available to you, and all of which you can freely have if you'll simply come unto Me, hear My voice, obey My Words, and obey all that I pour forth unto you. If you will but love Me, praise Me, kiss Me, caress Me, and honor Me, I will pour forth unto you as a husband pours forth unto his bride, giving seed and love and care and supply and abundance.
131. Receive this as My challenge to you for the year ahead, so that I can bring forth even greater fruit, more victories than in years past; that I can pour forth new abundance, new grace, new wisdom, new strength; that you may truly accomplish more with less effort than ever before. This does not mean that all problems will be solved and that all difficulties will be overcome, but I will make things easier and I will pour forth in many, many ways.
132. You will find great abundance and great strength and great help if you but seek Me, if you but come unto Me with new fervor and new dedication, if you but promise to praise Me, to seek Me, to hear Me, to obey Me, and to apply the Words that I pour forth unto you through My queen and My king, the feeders of you, My children.
133. This year ahead is a year of blessings! It is also a year to apply all that I have poured forth, to be doers of the Word and not hearers only. If you will do these things, if you will do My Words, you will know that it is of Me. You will have tangible proof--proof of My blessings upon you, the proof of My love bestowed upon you in a great new way as I pour forth unto you. As the fruit of our lovemaking is born, the great, great blessings of God will be upon you. So receive, believe and do, and My blessings shall be upon you. (End of message from Jesus.)
Closing
134. {\b \i (Peter:) }Isn't this wonderful? This year is a year of blessings, a year of fruitfulness! All we have to do to reap these tremendous rewards is to listen and obey. Let's put His promises to the test! Let's obey what the Lord says here! Let's listen and do what He says. Let's apply His Word, imbibe it, live it, believe it, and then let's watch Him pour out His blessings. Amen? We have a great year ahead of us, dear Family, so let's all do our part by praying, by obeying, by stopping and looking and listening to our precious Husband and King, so He can do His part and pour forth His blessings like never before.
135. The Lord made clear a very important principle in the preceding message about the importance of hearing from Him personally. He explains that when we go to Him and hear from Him personally, specifically, and get His instructions for our individual situations, not only is He able to influence our lives more, but we're then able to recognize His blessings in our lives more. When we hear from Him and then do what He says, when it works and is fruitful, we easily and clearly see His hand in our lives; and the result is that we praise Him.
136. If we don't go to the Lord to get His personal instruction and direction for ourselves or our Homes, He still works in our lives, but we can't see it as clearly. We don't have the opportunity to see the fulfillment of His promises and the fruitfulness of following His instruction, so the result is that we don't praise Him as much. That lack of praise hinders the Lord's blessings. If we don't open the channel of praise--which we naturally don't do as much when we don't clearly see His blessings and fulfilled promises--then He's not able to pour forth His blessings as much as He'd like to. This certainly should be a good motivation for us all to take the time to hear specific instruction from the Lord--both through the written Word and through prophecy--and then to put it into practice and praise the Lord when it bears fruit!
137. We are so proud of you all for your willingness, your stick-to-itiveness, your faith, your love, your loyalty, your dedication, your giving of your lives to serve and love Jesus. We have the greatest Family in the world, and Mama and I feel honored to be your queen and king.
138. We pledge to do our part by listening to and obeying the Lord, by passing on His Words to you. Please continue to pray for us as you have been, as we feel the effect of your prayers. We love you from the deepest parts of our hearts and it's our wish to serve you to the fullest each and every day. May the Lord give you a wonderful new year in Him.
Love, Peter
Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family