DFO 1689 11/83—Paper Power No.2!—To a WS Unit.

Excerpts from a Taped Message

1. YOU SHOULD HAVE JUST GIVEN THE FIRST THING THAT POPPED INTO YOUR HEAD & I COULD'VE TRUSTED THAT TO BE INSPIRED OF THE SPIRIT! That would've been better under these circumstances when we were really in quite a rush. Well, I guess it was partly due to misunderstanding, partly due to poor communication, & I guess the rest was due to your trying to be too thorough. But this is one case where it would've been better to have done it quick & typed it up yourself or had someone type it.

2. YOU SHOULD HAVE DONE THE WORK ON THAT—& NOT ON THE TELEPHONE! When it's anything that important & anything that requires accuracy, especially with figures such as a reference, it's better to put it on paper than to be rattling them off on the telephone! So make sure you do that next time, if there is a next time. Don't ever expect others to do your work for you. Make sure you do your own work, whatever you can do, then deliver it on paper unless it's impossible to deliver it on paper.

3. I ESTABLISHED THE "PAPER POWER" IDEA A LONG TIME AGO WHEN PEOPLE IN MY OWN HOUSE BOTHERED ME TOO MUCH & wanted to come in & tell me this & tell me that & tell me the other when I couldn't remember half of what they said! I think you've read the Letter. (See No.303A.) I finally required them to put it in writing & stick it under my door & I'd answer them later. So it'd be a good idea if you'd practise the same policy of putting everything on paper & having it delivered, unless there's some reason why you'd have to phone it. So let's try to remember that, shall we? And don't expect others to do anything for you that you can do for yourselves.

4. THAT'S A RULE FOR YOU: DON'T EXPECT OTHERS TO DO ANYTHING FOR YOU THAT YOU CAN DO FOR YOURSELF, & don't phone it unless you're explicitly asked to. I hope we've got that straight! For God's sake‚ please try to put it on paper so that we don't have to get people upset on the telephone where they get too many facts & figures & whatnot over the phone.

5. I WOULD ALSO SUGGEST THAT MAYBE YOU COULD GET SOMEBODY TO TYPE IT FOR YOU‚ because your writing is not the best in the World & it would be far more accurate. You're not the only one, we've got quite a few people in the Family that write hieroglyphics that have to be deciphered! I've told some people that I refuse to take a report from them any more unless they have it typed, & I would just about say the same for you!

6. SO I HOPE THE LIST WILL BE CLEAR & DECIPHERABLE & UNDERSTANDABLE SO THERE WON'T BE ANY CONFUSION. Check it & make sure it is accurate, because figures are the hardest things to type without mistakes & they're the hardest things to proofread.

7. AND AFTER THIS, REMEMBER THAT'S THE BEST WAY TO DO BUSINESS: TO GET THINGS ACCURATE & TO GET THEM ON TIME & DO EXACTLY WHAT YOU'RE ASKED TO DO! Then if it's wrong you're not to blame, or if it's too long you're not to blame, or if it's too short you're not to blame—if you just do what you're told in a case like this! Well‚ you've done very well & I've liked everything you've written & I have no particular major changes to make in anything & you're a genius at that kind of work. You do better than I can, I can't condense at all & I have a very difficult time compiling.

8. YOU'RE LIKE A WALKING ENCYCLOPEDIA! In fact‚ you remind me a lot of Aaron‚ the way he used to be able to quote anything I'd ask him for & he knew the reference as well by memory. All I had to have was him sitting in the class & I'd spout off the Scripture & he'd pipe up with the reference & that was a great help because I was never very good on references. That's why I'm depending on you to get things right.

9. GBY! YOU'VE CERTAINLY DONE A COLOSSAL JOB WITH ALL THESE BIG PROJECTS & THANK GOD WE'RE BEGINNING TO SEE THE LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL. We're almost finished but I'm sure there'll be lots more. If nothing else‚ Maria can keep you busy, that's for sure! Just my little stuff is enough to keep me busy so I let her handle everything else. I've got the easiest job of all, all I have to do is the GN & the WND & she takes care of everything else. So have mercy on her too, will you? Pity her & please don't let her do anything that you can do yourself.—Period! Get it?—And on paper! And no more than you're asked, no more, no less. That'll save us all time. And make sure everything is accurate & correct & it'll save some people's nerves & dispositions.

10. YOU'RE DOING A VERY GOOD JOB WITH WHAT YOU'RE DOING, JUST BE SURE ALL THAT GETS DONE & DON'T LEAVE THE OTHER UNDONE!—And don't ever use word of mouth or telephone hereafter if you can possibly put it on paper & get it there in time. You're doing a great job. I don't have to tell you when you're doing well, although I try to, but I do have to tell you when you make a mistake!—Ha! We've got to make sure we catch the mistakes.

11. WHEN WE'RE PROOFREADING WE DON'T HAVE TO CHECK EVERYTHING THAT'S RIGHT, WE JUST CHECK THE THINGS THAT ARE WRONG! So that's life. It's a funny thing, people seldom remember all the good you did but they always remember the mistakes you made & they can always remember your faults. But in a way that's necessary, because it's not the good that causes the problems, it's the shortcomings. So maybe that's established a little policy between you & others that will come in handy from now on & help you to remember:

12. DON'T USE THE PHONE WHEN YOU CAN USE YOUR FEET & DON'T USE YOUR MOUTH WHEN YOU CAN USE PAPER! You've done a great job, so don't let one little mistake discourage you! Just rectify it & get it straightened out right now. Lord bless him & help him & give him wisdom & lots of love & patience & skill & guidance & inspiration, anointing, Lord, for this very very important Word work that he does for which You have given him a real gift & real talent. Thank You for all the monumental accomplishments that he has finished now & which are going to be a great blessing to the whole World. Do bless them & make them a blessing, Lord‚ & help us to get them out before the War or whatever‚ in Jesus' name. "To obey is better than sacrifice & to hearken than the fat of rams." (1Sam.15:22) That's exactly what that means to do, exactly what the Lord tells you, no more, no less.—One man thought he could do better than that, but he lost his job!—King Saul! "To OBEY is BETTER than sacrifice!" Savvy? Amen? GBAKY obeying!

Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family