DO 301710/95

—By MariaMaria #299

Stats analysis1

Your inspiring reactions to the new GNs4

Doubting prophecy?—Faith comes from the Word6

Getting accustomed to the new wine8

Ungrateful attitudes towards prophecy10

Jewelry House prophecy11

Old and new wine; grass and grain prophecy12

Open your hearts with faith and receive the new wine13

Acts of love and kindness14

Choose the way of love and sacrifice16

Some problems with disunity17

Unloving actions cannot be condoned18

Examine yourself and see where you stand18

Cautions on driving20

Live phone calls and gossip22

Choices, and we still believe in shepherding22

DO members must accept our fundamental beliefs23

We continue to be a Gideon's Band24

Dad on the Charter and obeying the rules25

God's entrance exams26

The Words of David in paperback books27

Streamlining production of our Family Teen Tapes28

Bored or unchallenged?—Do something about it!29

Investing in a brand new crop of children29

Another ripe mission field—our children30

The term "you young people"34

Loved ones helping us from the Other Side34

Love and appreciation for brethren who were in bonds36

Fulfilled prophecy—a year of peace36

Testimonies on using the gift of prophecy36

New pioneer teams38

God's will—the key to happiness38

Christmas outreach39

Praise time reactions39

VS appointments coming39

Thanks for all your love and prayers39

Pubs work changes40

Preview of coming GNs40

We're in good shape and I'm proud of you41

Encouragement from Dad42

P.S. The BI Court Case Victory!42

My Precious Family,

1. God bless you! I love you so much and am thrilled with all the Lord is doing with each one of you! Upon releasing the Love Charter back in February, we expected great things to happen as you started to live it, and we haven't been disappointed! I'm so excited with the outcome! The goal was to set you free to follow your faith, to find just what the Lord had for you, to allow you to burn free in the place and the ministry He has chosen for you, and to make it possible for you to witness more than you ever could before.—And it's working!

2. The Lord is blessing in every way! He's using you to preach more Gospel, win more souls, reach more countries, do more follow-up‚ win more disciples, distribute more tools, make more friends, pioneer more Homes, take better care of your children‚ love one another more, and to continue on with the vision that Dad has given us, to reach the world with God's wonderful Love!

Stats Analysis!

3. Our faithful stats man just sent me a statistical analysis of our progress since the onset of the Love Charter, which I want to share with you. I think you'll be as amazed as I was to see what the Lord is doing through you, and the victories that you are winning around the world!

4. For the last five years we've had an average of 230 DO Homes worldwide. Do you know how many we have now?—499! That's a 117% increase in the number of DO Homes! Seventy-six of those Homes opened a few months before the Love Charter and another 191 have opened since March! That's a staggering 267 new DO Homes!—And more new Homes are opening each month! Wow! You are really moving! The Lord knew that if He let you loose you would get out there and do the job, and you're doing it! God bless you! I'm proud of those of you who have launched out, as well as those of you who have remained in our already established Homes. We're holding on to the ground we have already gained and we're gaining new ground as well! That's making progress! That's moving ahead! Praise the Lord!

5. The average DO Home size before the Charter was about 40 people per Home, and now it is at a six–year low of 18! So about half of you have moved out of your large, oversized Homes into new streamlined ones! Dad always said that smaller Homes were easier to care for, finance and shepherd, and that in the long run they accomplish more. Well, from looking at the stats, it's easy to see that with smaller Homes we are preaching more Gospel and winning more souls!—And ultimately, that's what it's all about! That's our job—to reach the world with the Message—and you're doing it! Thank the Lord!

6. Despite all the monumental changes, the moving of Homes and the pioneering of new areas, our outreach stats are exploding! Not only have we gotten out more videos and more tapes in the first half of this year than any first half year for the last four years, but we've won more souls than we have during the same six-month period for the past seven years! In fact, in souls won this is also our seventh highest year ever, as compared to the first half of any year since our beginning 26 years ago. And up through August this year you have brought 622,000 souls (431,000 DO; 191,000 TS) into the Kingdom so far! In 1995, we've averaged 77,000 souls a month (54,000 DO; 23,000 TS), which is well in excess of our 26-year average of 55,000 a month! That's an increase of about 40%! God bless you, you're doing the job! Keep it up! This far surpasses last year‚ when during the same time period‚ we had won only 446‚000 souls (327,000 DO; 119,000 TS), compared to this year's 622‚000.—So overall we're winning 40% more than last year! Hallelujah!

7. Total personal witnessing is the highest it's been in the last five years! In the first eight months of 1995 we've personally witnessed to 4.5 million people (3.2 million DO; 1.3 million TS)! That's up 33% from last year, and an average of over half a million a month!

8. Our distribution has also picked up dramatically over last year, with the total pages distributed up 56% over last year at this time! Posters are also up from last year‚ with 4.3 million distributed so far in '95 (4.0 million DO; 300,000 TS). That's 64% more posters so far this year!—534,000 (497,000 DO; 37,000 TS) a month this year versus 326,000 (301,000 DO; 25,000 TS) a month last year!

9. Tape distribution is the highest it's been in the last four years! We're averaging 30,000 tapes a month (23‚000 DO; 7,000 TS) in '95 as compared to 18,000 a month in '94 (13,000 DO; 5‚000 TS)!—67% more this year! That's phenomenal! Videos are also the highest in four years!—We're averaging over 11,200 a month now (10,800 DO; 400 TS), as compared to 8,200 (8,150 DO; 50 TS) last year!—Up 37% this year!

10. Isn't it wonderful to see the Family double the number of Homes while making major advances in three of our main areas of outreach: personal witnessing (up 33%), soul-winning (up 40%), and lit distribution (up 56%)? The Lord is doing it!—And He's using you faithful witnesses!

11. Not only are we winning souls, but we're winning disciples. We've had 155 new disciples join the DO Family and 122 DO births in the last five months since the Charter began‚ including some transfers from TRF Supporter to DO status. And our net gain (new disciples + births - people leaving) has been 223 DO TRFers since the Charter began. Our new disciples are joining DO Homes at a rate of 31 a month since the Charter began, which is up from last year. Our DO birth rate of 24 a month since the Charter is exactly equal to last year's birth rate. Praise the Lord!—Knew Disciples!

12. One interesting stat is that the number of betrothals has gone up considerably. Since the Charter, we have averaged six DO betrothals a month, as compared to an average of three a month for the 12 months before the Charter! God bless you newly mated couples. I guess Peter and I must be listed as one of those new couples too! Praise the Lord! We're sure happy about getting together, and we hope you are too! Congratulations! So far this year, we've had 49 DO betrothals, which already exceeds the 24 we had for the entire year of 1994, or the 32 we had in '93, the nine in '92, and the eight in '91! Praise the Lord!

13. The DO Family is now made up of 74 passport nationalities, and our TSers are made up of 59 nationalities. Together our DO and TS Family total 81 nationalities, representing about half of the nations and principalities of the world!

14. Besides the tremendous gains in our witnessing and outreach‚ the Family has also added on some new categories of outside membership, that is, members of our "flock" living outside our DO and TS Homes. This means that together with our DO and TS Family we have a total membership of 29,330. It's broken down like this: 8,978 DO Family; 3,904 TS Family; 16,448 Outside Members.

15. We presently have DO members in 59 countries‚ with TS members in many of those‚ plus four more, meaning the Family is spread abroad in 63 countries! 24% of the DO members are in North America, 21% in South America, 22% in Europe, less than one percent in the Mideast/Africa area, 5% in the India Subcontinent area‚ 9% in Southeast Asia, and 19% in the Pacific!

16. Since February, we have either set up new Homes or established more solid Homes in 9 new countries: Kenya, Nigeria, Slovenia, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Latvia, Ukraine, and Mauritania! I hear that there are also pioneer teams preparing for Vietnam, Cambodia‚ Laos, Burma and Turkey.—In fact, they may be there already. (LNF: We now have a Home in Turkey!) Things are really rolling! I'm so proud of you, dear Family, for your missionary zeal, for your desire to get out and reach the lost. The Lord knew that if He set you free to operate according to your personal faith and initiative, you would go into all the world!

17. In answer to the Lord's call for laborers in Eastern Europe, Russia, and the nations of the former Soviet Union, the European CROs have given clearance to over 300 people! Isn't that wonderful? We now have nearly 700 full-time disciples in close to 50 Homes in Eastern Europe and Russia!—With more coming and more Homes opening!

18. The Family Aid Fund (FAF) has been a great success so far. I was so proud of all of you for agreeing to give an extra 1% of your income towards this. WS has been giving their 10% each month as well. Together this has made it possible to give out a total of 184 pioneer gifts to new Homes! This means that over one third (37%) of all present Family Homes have received pioneer aid from the FAF! Likewise, nearly all of these new Homes have received their HERs from the Family Aid Fund. So it's working‚ folks, thanks to your generous giving and your willingness to live Acts 2:44-45!

19. Because of your giving, the Home Loan funds available for each CRO area have doubled from what was available before‚ allowing more loans to go to needy Homes and situations. About 89 Home Loans have been made just since the Charter began! More recently there has been emergency aid issued in a few cases, such as the Austin accident and others. Here's what the expenditures look like thus far:

20. Since we are talking about finances, do you remember that in the last part of 1994, we sent you a number of pubs on how to increase your finances?—Letters like‚ "Dream About Finances," "From Poverty to Plenty," "More on the Importance of Making Your Needs Known," plus a number of finance-related FSMs? I thought you'd be interested to know that the Lord has kept His promises!

21. Since the last quarter of 1994 the Family's income has risen steadily. The Family's monthly income in the last quarter of '94 was 34% higher than the monthly average for the first three quarters of '94.—That's a big boost, but of course it included the Christmas witnessing push. However, the Lord has maintained that increase throughout the first three quarters of 1995 now, so He has raised overall Family income by over one-third and has sustained this raise for a full year! Praise the Lord! This increase has made it possible for WS to continue to cover its expenses, help our missionaries worldwide, and give to the FAF. On top of that‚ we have been able to invest more in the Russian work, as the Lord has shown us we must get the job done there now!

22. As we obey, as we do those things that He has asked us to do‚ He blesses us! We are now witnessing more, winning more, doing more, giving more‚ and Jesus is pouring out more to us in every way! Isn't it wonderful? Aren't you encouraged to see the Lord blessing in so many ways? I sure am!

23. I'm happy to see the Family so alive, so full of change and movement. From the letters I'm receiving, it's obvious that these changes were needed and are just what the Lord wanted to happen! The progress made, the victories won, the new ground gained and the expressions of gratitude are all good fruit of the Lord's plan. Like Dad said, "If you follow the Lord, you'll never go wrong!" Thank the Lord that He's the One Who's leading us. Amen?

Your Inspiring Reactions to the New GNs!

24. And speaking of the Lord leading‚ something I have been amazed at is the amount of Word the Lord is pouring out to us! We've got so much backed up that I don't know how we'll ever get it all out! I've been so thankful for how the Lord has been speaking, how He's been showing us what to do, how He's been answering all my questions so marvelously. He doesn't only give us simple yes or no answers, but He explains His answers so clearly, in such detail, telling us things that we could never know any other way. I'm thrilled with it! And so are many of you, as we have learned from the many wonderful and uplifting reactions to the GNs that we have received. I thought it might inspire you to hear what some of your brothers and sisters, young and old, are saying about them.

25. * "These Letters are just wonderful‚ as all that the Lord is doing in Mama's and Peter's lives just seems to flow out and affect me so personally. They inspire me to want to have a closer relationship with the Lord. We've `tried on' the new garment of prophecy at our morning devotions, stopping and letting the Lord speak after our Word time, and it is so feeding and inspiring."

26. * "For me this `new wine' straight from Heaven is the most feeding, encouraging, convicting, inspiring, challenging, beautiful and Heaven-sent yet! It's wonderful to have Dad still speaking to us through these prophecies."

27. * "Mama's `Love Story' series has been one of the most wonderful things that has happened in my life for a long time. I can't express the excitement and thrill that I get from reading the prophecies!"

28. * "It is reassuring to know that we have leadership in the Family that is so yielded to the Lord and wants to follow Him wherever He leads, and also is willing to stop and listen to find out what the Lord has to say today and where the Lord is moving and where He wants us to follow."

29. * "The Spirit World and our connection with it is so much more real and close now, as that `veil' doesn't seem so thick and impassable any more. It makes me desperate to hear directly from the cloud of witnesses around each one of us. Also, the fact that Dad himself is speaking so clearly to us still, and is much more in control of things now than ever before, just sends chills up my spine!"

30. * "It's just incredible how close to my heart is every word from the `Love Story' series and the `Lessons of Love.’ They make me feel like Jesus Himself put His arms around me and is talking to me, and I feel so warm."

31. * "The prophecies are so encouraging and convicting! It makes me desperate to hear from the Lord as well and to follow this new day. I'm extremely thankful to be a part of the Family, especially in these exciting times.—Probably the most exciting in my 25 years in the Family!"

32. * "Mama's `Love Story' Letters encouraged me to have the faith to ask the Lord for the gift of prophecy‚ and the Lord answered beautifully! I just felt the Lord's Spirit take over and I started to prophesy."

33. * "With Dad on the Other Side and Mama and Peter's leadership here, it makes me so excited about the things to come!"

34. * "In all my years in the Family I have never had a series of pubs so specifically speak to me about so many areas of my life. One after another, starting from `Serve One Another in Love' up through Mama's `Love Story,' it's been as if the Lord was speaking directly to the deepest recesses of my heart."

35. * "The more I read these Words, the more I am addicted to them and the more I love them and need them. Something that makes it so exciting is that I really see the change they are creating in my life and in the lives of those around me. These Words are changing the spirit of our Home and are making it a more inspiring place to live. Thank You Jesus!"

36. * "Mama's (and Peter's) `Love Story' has touched us deep inside. It made us laugh, cry‚ and it thrilled us. It is helping us to be more loving and to do the `humble thing' and to `serve one another in love' more than before. We are so thankful for everyone who has a share in bringing this new Love Revolution to us, and we pledge our loyalty to our new King Peter. May he reign and rule in love and be the help the Lord and Dad want him to be to our dear Queen Maria."

37. * "Mama's `Love Story' is having a thrilling effect on us all. It's causing us to get in prayer and hear from the Lord about the various details of our lives, marriages, outreach, children, and it's making my life and the lives of our Home members so much deeper."

38. * "Mama's `Love Story' and Peter's lessons on the theme of showing each other more love and affection, sharing more, etc., caused a change in our Home too, in our interactions with each other. Even though there are obvious obstacles to overcome—pride, shyness, jealousy, etc., and it's something that we have not fully practiced for years, even though it's hard to get started‚ still the few steps everyone took in getting close to one another really helped. After living together for over a year and going through various personality clashes‚ it seems like we are finally learning to appreciate one another more and overlook each others' weaknesses. What especially spoke to me was when Peter said that as we grow closer to the End we're going to need each other more and need a large measure of love to be able to overcome the forces of darkness."

39. * "Mama's `Love Story' series is a big help to me in the practical side of getting close to Jesus together with my mate. It's been a real help and blessing in our relationship to communicate more‚ pray much more together, read and praise more together. Getting closer to Jesus together is helping us to get closer to each other. I have more respect for my husband‚ understand him more, and am more willing to receive correction from him. I have to admit that when first reading Mama's `Love Story' Letters I thought they were too spiritual for me, that I would never be able to attain. But then I just tried to do it, even if it was difficult, and it worked! I am so very thankful for these Letters!"

40. Aren't those beautiful reactions? I'm so encouraged that you are not just reading the Letters for information but that you are applying them to your lives. I received a letter recently from one of our young people who was explaining how the Lord was leading him to take a witnessing road trip for a few weeks‚ but that in order to do so it meant leaving his wife and children at home. So he and his wife prayed together and the Lord spoke to them about it in prophecy. This young man said, "The GN where you and Peter are praying and getting prophecies in your room together really helped me and gave me the faith for this. To just be alone with my wife in our room and be able to get prophecy that way has been a real radical change in my life."

41. I am so happy to see that you young people are taking the Letters to heart and you are following their instruction. A further reaction, from another young person, especially touched my heart, as she and her soon-to-be mate have decided not to just read the Word, but to live it. She wrote:

42. "I am involved with someone and am about to become engaged. I've often wondered how I would be able to share him. Being a YA, I can tend to be very idealistic, but honestly, I never had much practice with this kind of sharing according to the Law of Love. But seeing both Mama and Peter's beautiful sample really spoke to me and showed me how to give that kind of love to others. It so inspired me that I wanted to try it too. We prayed together and decided that it would be fine for him to spend time with one of the senior teens in our Home who really needed companionship. It was all very new and different for us, especially since I tend to be very possessive at times, but the Lord really did it and I can honestly say that I'm turned on to our doctrines of love now, not just in principle, but also in practice. It wasn't easy, of course, but we knew that the Lord expected it of us, and we're both very thankful for the valuable learning experience. Thank you, Mama and Peter‚ for setting such a good sample for us! I love you!" (Mama:) I love you too, dear one. I'm so proud of you!—And of all of you who are applying and living the Word.

If You're Doubting Prophecy, Faith Comes from the Word!

43. I've received a number of reactions expressing the difficulties some have been having with reading prophecy in the new Letters, so I thought it would be good to talk about that too. Some people have said they have doubts about the prophecies and they wonder how Dad and others from the Spirit World can be speaking.

44. Dad said, "The best cure for doubts is the Word! `Faith cometh by hearing the Word of God!' (Rom.10:17).—And faith is the opposite of doubt! Read the Bible and the Letters—they should cure any doubts you have—if you're willing to receive the Truth and really want to know!" (ML #604:28).

45. My answer to you who are having actual doubts that the Lord can allow Dad or others to speak to us in prophecy is to go to the Word and see all the things that Dad has said about it. I'll share just a few quotes from the Letters to show what I mean.

46. "The Protestants have almost totally skipped over or de-emphasized the agents that God uses‚ and they give very little credit to the angels or good spirits. Most of them give absolutely no credit to the good spirits of the departed `dead' as being agents and messengers. And yet, it's there as plain as day! It makes it all very simple if we realize God uses angels, departed human spirits, etc., as His agents or messengers.

47. "In other words, some of our prophets have the spirits of departed prophets, and that's how you get a gift of prophecy: you get the spirit of a departed prophet! (Maria: That reminds me, the Lord said last night that you have the spirit of Abrahim, the spirit of Moses and the spirit of the psalmist David.) There you are! That's why some of these psalms God gives us sound like David, because David is singing them, he's giving them! That's probably why some of the wisdom He gives me in lecturing sounds like Moses, because it is Moses speaking!

48. "You're nothing but a channel that they work through. They're the ones that have that wisdom, that gift, that talent, that supernatural tongue, and who give the prophecies or the interpretations!

49. "We've got the benefit now of such a tremendous collection of departed saints, men of God, great men of wisdom‚ administrators, kings, prophets, psalmists and what have you! Look what a collection God's got by this time, of all these that have gone on to be with Him! He's got people available for anything you want to know, for anything that needs to be done! (Heb.12:1). The Lord can call on anybody to give you whatever you need; you just need to want it and receive it and have the faith to give it" ("Holy Ghosts," ML #620:10,11,21,22,24,67‚68).

50. "Praise God for His good spirits—all of them!—Including yours and mine!—And I'm personally acquainted with quite a few others who have spoken to me and through me in many spiritual experiences described in former Letters. In these experiences God has sent different `ministering spirits' to us personally to reveal His mysteries to us in the Spirit, by the Spirit‚ through the Spirit, of the Spirit and for the Spirit!

51. "So I know from personal experience that some of the revelations do come in this fashion.—And why not? They did in the Bible, where angelic messengers were sent to convey a message to some prophet of God, or a man or woman of God. Time and again when the prophets revealed something, they said the angel of the Lord or someone else was there showing them. Occasionally, even the angel or spirit of some former man of God, such as Samuel, Moses, Elijah‚ etc., was used. Search the Scriptures and see if these things be so! ... God can use His servants who have already passed on from this life!... The Holy Spirit uses these holy spirits, His angels and these spirit beings, these departed saintly spirits, to lead and guide God's yielded children" ("Out of This World!—And into the Fifth Dimension," ML #686:47,48,51,53).

52. So as you can see‚ Dad very much believed and practiced receiving things from those that had passed on to be with the Lord. Goodness, look at Abrahim! He spoke through Dad lots of times. If you have a hard time believing that Dad or Peter or Paul or other saints from the past—or even the present, like some of our latest saints, the girls from Austin—can speak, then I suggest that you read some of the following Letters in order to build your faith: "Flatlanders," ML #57; "He Stands in the Gap," ML #73A; "Holy Ghosts‚" ML #620; and "More Holy Ghosts," ML #621.

53. I certainly don't have any problem with it, as I was used to having Abrahim and others talk through Dad. Since there is so much in the Letters along these lines, I wouldn't think that you'd have so much of a problem with it either. But I guess I should expect it, as the Enemy is always trying to cast doubt on the Word. Like Dad said, "The Devil was ordained to see if he could get you to doubt God's Word." That's what he's trying to do for sure, he's trying to defeat you through doubts.

54. One of our leaders was battling about this very thing‚ and the Lord helped pull him through when he got very desperate and went to the Word! He shared a very important lesson which I want you to hear. He said:

55. "This whole ordeal has really sobered me up and made me realize what a spiritual warfare we are fighting. The Lord let me see once again how the Enemy is really out to win and to destroy our faith in the Lord. This morning, when I was sharing my lessons at devotions‚ something came to me that the Lord had showed me during the time that I was going through these different doubts and battles, and having a hard time accepting the recent prophecies. He showed me that the end result of what the Devil was trying to do was completely destroy my faith in the Spirit World. I realized if I continually stayed on that thought pattern of questioning the prophecies and where they came from, that pretty soon I'd have to doubt that there is even a Spirit World at all! Then I'd pretty much have to doubt that there is Heaven, then I might as well throw the Bible out, and then I might as well throw out my salvation. It really shocked me to realize that the Enemy just uses anything he can to get ahold of your mind, and just one little doubt like that, if held onto‚ can grow and grow until pretty soon he's destroyed you completely, which is what his whole goal is. I'm really thankful that it's so clear to me now, and that I'm more aware of the spiritual warfare that we're all involved in."

56. Don't let the Devil defeat you, folks! Don't let him rob you of the blessings of God, of the joy of receiving the life-giving Word that the Lord is pouring out to strengthen you, to feed you, to inspire you and to show you the direction that He is moving today. It's God's Word and it's for you! If you don't feed on it, you won't have what you need for this new day. It's the new wine for the new day! Don't miss out!

57. I'll share a portion of a letter that Jondy (Hosea), Dad's flesh son, recently wrote to me.

58. "Why can't we believe that the Lord can let Dad speak to us now!? Why should that be considered so incredible? Is it too much for our faith? Many Christians can't even believe that Jesus can still speak to us now that He has passed into the Spirit World. Yet we not only believe it, but we feel free to ask Him questions and expect Him to answer verbally through the human voice of one of His prophets. Some Christians would have us believe that in the next life our departed loved ones will do nothing but sit around on clouds playing harps instead of being involved with caring for and helping us, their dear ones, who are left behind. Well, they're wrong!

59. "It is easy for me to believe that Dad can and would want to speak to us as much as we need it. If I can believe that Abrahim spoke through Dad, then why should I not be willing to believe that Dad can speak through Peter and others? It doesn't seem to me to take any more faith to believe that God or Jesus or even Dad should be able to speak to us if we need it."

60. God bless you, Jondy, for making this point so clearly. David told me that when he and the Russian team were traveling, he met young people who commented that they thought it was presumptuous for us to think that Dad or the Apostles Peter and Paul would speak through us, and they questioned, how did we know it was them, anyway? David wisely answered that usually in the content of the prophecy there are clues that help us to know who it is. Or sometimes the people actually give their names. Often there is mention of something the person did while on Earth or something else that is unique to them that identifies who is speaking. At other times the person giving the prophecy just knows who it is that is speaking, the Lord shows them.

61. Also‚ as you may recall, sometimes I have requested specifically that the Lord have a particular person speak, such as when I asked Him if the Apostle Paul could speak to Jesse about condemnation. I felt that Paul would certainly have some important and helpful counsel to give to Jesse‚ and I felt he'd be happy to give it, if we'd give him a chance by providing a channel for him to speak through. If we have the faith, and we ask the Lord to have someone speak, then why do we think it's so unbelievable when it happens?

Getting Accustomed to the New Taste of the New Wine!

62. I know that a number of you have found it difficult to read prophecy. It's so new and quite different from reading most of the older Letters. But, believe it or not, almost a quarter of the very early Letters included substantial amounts of prophecy, some Letters being entirely made up of prophecy.

63. However, we're now trying to make it easy for you by taking the prophecies out of King James English so they will no longer have words like thee, thou, ye, thine and thy, or words ending in "eth" and "est." So phrases like "he worketh" and "she seeth" will now be "he works" and "she sees"; phrases like "thou sayest" and "thou lookest" will now be "you say" and "you look‚" etc. This doesn't change the meaning of the prophecy, as it is still the same words, only in the modern form. The prophecies from Dad always come in modern language anyway, and those from other departed spirits often do as well, although some are in King James English. If you get a prophecy in old English that's fine‚ of course. Just give it as you receive it.

64. A number of you have written me about your initial difficulties in reading prophecy, but that you now have the victory, and in fact you quite like to read the prophecies that are included in the Letters. Here are some excerpts from these reactions:

65. * "It's getting more enjoyable and thrilling to read prophecy and hear the Lord speak; it's more personal. There's a closeness that wasn't there before."

66. * "I feel guilty saying this, but in the past the prophecy sections of Letters have been the parts that I've tended to skip over; but in the last months, I've hungered and thirsted to read them. I don't understand why‚ but I've been thrilled, and filled and excited by the way the Lord is speaking, the specifics with which He's been guiding us, the closeness. But even more than that, we're starting to experience a touch of the same closeness with Him. When we pray together now, we are listening and hearing more, and it's quite common for Him to speak."

67. * "At first, I was not so keen to read all these prophecies and to take time myself to hear from the Lord. I believe that it was because I'm naturally quite lazy and it just takes too much effort to do that. I used to look more for mailings with clear and detailed instructions about different aspects of our work or mode of operation. I wanted things clearly spelled out to me, and as briefly as possible. But after reading all these mailings my initial resistance gradually disappeared, and I am now more eager to read and study these prophecies. I have been developing much more of an appetite for them, and I'm getting more of a thrill out of them! Praise the Lord!"

68. * "When reading prophecy I find it a lot heavier and meatier to absorb, but this has been good for me in that it has made me slow down and reflect more, rather than reading like I'm reading a story book or something. It has also given me a hunger and desire to get closer to the Lord myself and make a connection with Him personally."

69. * "If I find anything hard about having so much prophecy, it is that there is so much in it that I feel like I'm missing a lot of what the Lord is trying to say. So I feel compelled to read it over and over again to make sure that I'm getting it. But one of the best things about it is that when I only have ten minutes between projects, I can just pick up a Letter and read a prophecy or two and meditate on it. There is so much in one small portion for me to act upon that it's very inspiring."

70. * (From a 22–year-old Russian national:) "I'm so inspired by the prophecies that were published in Mama's `Love Story' GNs! There's something amazing in these prophecies. For me it is like the Bible in a way: When I read it just once, I feel like I am not getting all that the Lord is trying to say, I'm not fully satisfied, and so I need to re–read them over and over again, and every time there's something new and different, but so unique and special! The only limit to it, I guess, is just my faith and the ability to receive! It's almost like a spiritual orgasm. Hallelujah!"

71. * (From one of our junior teens:) "The prophecies throughout the different Letters were very inspiring for me. Before, I would sometimes feel bored when it came to reading prophecies—but now I'm much more interested and I feel how they're so important. It also makes me see the Spirit World as more real, seeing how Dad and the Lord talk through different people, etc."

72. One of the folks here in our Home shared the following lessons:

73. "When I've had a big GN to read‚ with a lot of prophecies, it was hard for me to stay tuned in. I do well on the short prophecies, but the long ones take effort to get through. But I've had a project from Mama of reading through prophecies to categorize them and do a little table of contents on them. To do this, I've had to look for the subjects, grasp the point and summarize the idea. I've been highlighting the copy to get the points to put in the table of contents. This way they have been just absolutely fascinating and alive and I don't get fidgety on the long ones.

74. "There are some prophecies I've read in the GNs that I had a hard time getting through. But when later reading the very same prophecies when categorizing them, I got super fed and excited over them, thinking, `Wow! Look what it says there! Boy, that's really neat!' So maybe my problem is with the way I was reading them‚ it's definitely not the prophecies! They are dynamite, feeding, inspiring and just terrific!

75. "Perhaps with different kinds of material we have to study it in a different way. To me it's sort of like being in grade school when you're learning to read and they give you stories that are a lot of fun, but then once you graduate to junior high you're not reading just for pleasure, but to learn and study and apply yourself, like in science and math‚ and it's work. Maybe this is the same principle that is happening with us. We've gone from the MO Letters, which had a lot of dreams and stories‚ although there was lots of instruction too, but it was easier reading. And now we're graduating to reading the prophecies, where the Lord expects us to grow up some and apply ourselves more, and He wants us to really `study to show ourselves approved, rightly dividing the Word of God.' `I applied mine heart to know, and to search, and to seek out wisdom‚ and the reason of things.' (2Tim.2:15; Ecc.7:25).

76. "I've found I have to approach the new GNs with a different attitude for this new day to continue to get fed‚ because the old way isn't working. I think with the MO Letters I was lazier, sort of sitting back and expecting them to just feed me, whereas now I've got to feed myself. Like Dad said in `Bye Bye Birdie,' we're going to have to scratch a little more when he's gone. He said:

77. "`They need to get out there and work a little more and pick up their own food, or pretty soon they won't even know how to feed themselves. God's yard is full of food, if they'd just get out and dig it out! They can dig it out just like I do! Otherwise they get lazy, you know?—And pretty soon they won't even know how to feed themselves. They need to get out there and dig for it and ask God to help them find it, because what are they going to do when their father David's gone? What are they going to do then? They need to grow up and they need to hear from God themselves! It's all right for me to feed them when they're babies, and I'm their father, but they've got to grow up some day and feed themselves while I go to be with Jesus and they get their food straight from Jesus and find Heavenly Father food, right?' (ML #231:9,10‚13).

78. "Well, we are getting our food straight from Jesus in the prophecy GNs—it couldn't be any more direct—but it looks like He's expecting us to do a little more work than we used to in feeding ourselves. Thank You Jesus!"

79. I understand the adjustment that some of you have had to go through in having so much prophecy in the Letters. The Lord understands too, as He talked about it in the "Winetaster" prophecy. He said, "Though the taste of the new wine may be different than that of the old and aged vintage, the vintage of David ... you must remember that all wine was first new wine.... So drink this new wine and accept it with the understanding that though it be as new wine now, the time will come that it will be vintage wine and you will be very comfortable with it and you will grow accustomed to its taste" ("Three Gifts of the Lord's Love!", ML #3005:128).

80. As you can see from the above reactions, though some have had difficulty with the "new taste" of the new wine‚ they are now becoming accustomed to it. So if you're having trouble tuning in to the prophecies, I suggest you pray and ask the Lord to help you get accustomed to it‚ so you can be filled with His new wine and enjoy its stimulating effect. Rebuke the Devil from hindering you, and be fed and inspired by all the wonderful Words the Lord is giving!

81. I believe that most of you who have had some difficulties with reading prophecy fall into the category of those who are trying to get used to the new wine. I'm afraid, though, that some of you are like those that Dad talked about when he prayed: "If it [the new wine] breaks anybody's bottle, it's just going to prove they were an old bottle, and that they resist change and anything new and different and more shocking and more revolutionary than what they've already got. Lord, You know that whenever we feel we have become revolutionary enough, we have ceased being revolutionary, because we have stopped revoluting, changing. Whenever we get to the point where we say `the old wine was strong enough and the new wine is too strong,' You know, Lord, we've become an old bottle!" ("New Bottles!" ML #251:66).

82. I hope that's not you! It won't be if you flow with what the Lord is doing, if you thank Him for all that He's pouring out and if you drink it in by faith. Apparently some of you have been rather critical of the new Letters, complaining about the prophecies‚ a few of you even wondering if we are just making them up! I assure you we aren't! In fact‚ there have been some marvelous confirmations that the Words the Lord has been giving have been right from Him‚ even if we can't understand them with our carnal minds. I'll share one such example with you.

83. Stephan, the father of Kristina, one of the teens who went to be with the Lord in Austin, wrote: "When I was reading the prophecy in which Kristina was speaking and she was telling us about her battles with negative thinking, I was wondering what she was talking about. (This prophecy was sent to us personally at the time of the accident‚ and was later published in GN 646.) I was a little skeptical about this prophecy as I'd never heard of her having such battles. However, a few days after we arrived home, Michael at the other house received a sealed letter that Kristina had written and sent him shortly before the accident. In it she mentioned that she had been having enormous battles and had considered leaving the Family. I was shocked as I had never thought she had these battles! She told him this and she said that she had gotten some victories and that the battles were passing. She had also told him on the phone that she was having battles with not being good for anything, just like she told us in the prophecy. Then she told him about the dreams of Heaven that she had been having. This letter from her was something the Lord used to `prove' to me that the prophecy was more accurate than any of us could have known‚ and that the Lord saw her heart as no one else could. I was so awestruck at how even the way she spoke was so like her. It was so real! Thank You Jesus!"

84. So remember, folks, that just because you can't figure something out with your carnal mind, it doesn't mean it's not true. If the Lord says it, I believe it, even if I have no evidence. That's what faith is!—And the just shall live by faith. It's a bonus and a blessing that we can understand so many things, and we should be so grateful to the Lord for this, and not complain or murmur or doubt when there are some things that we can't understand! If we could understand everything, we'd be like God Himself‚ but He has ordained that we usually "see through a glass darkly" and "walk by faith, not by sight!" (1Cor.13:12; 2Cor.5:7).

Ungrateful Attitudes Towards Prophecy

85. I've also heard that some have been going around saying that they have a hard time believing the prophecies in the Letters because they don't know the prophets and they don't know their fruits, so why should they believe the prophecies. Let me tell you, I know the prophets and I know their fruits and I know by the wisdom and discernment of God that what they are giving is directly from Him! Long ago in the Letters, Dad even said that my helpers would be getting things from the Lord! He said, "God bless Maria and her helpers who are going to carry on and continue to feed the world!—Not only what I have already received but what they will receive‚ and the world's going to listen to them" (ML #989:6).

86. The Lord doesn't seem to have a problem with others giving prophecies and me judging them. He said in the "Winetaster" prophecy in "Three Gifts of the Lord's Love": "What difference does it make if she labors over the Words of God and feeds them to the Family, or if she approves the Words of God that come from this channel and feed the Family? For it all comes from the same stream, the same source, from My Spirit and from Me. Trust My queen, for I have given her great wisdom and great judgment. She knows My Words well, for she has lived with the very voice of God, David, My chosen one. She has tasted of My Words and she knows the taste and the fragrance, the smell. And as one who is an expert at tasting wine and can tell from the fragrance and from just a little taste where it comes from, its year, its vintage, because they are so attuned and experienced, so is she. When she tastes the wine and says, `This comes from the vat of God,’ then you shall know, for she is an expert" (ML #3005:115,123).

87. It hurts me and it must hurt the Lord too for you to not have more appreciation for His Word. You're so privileged to hear the very Words of God, and yet some of you just pass it off as, "Oh, it's just a bunch of prophecy. Just some pretty words that don't mean much."

88. For you to not care enough about the Word to even read it carefully, to just skip over the direct Words the Lord gives in prophecy is, at the least, very irresponsible.—And that's putting it mildly! It's downright unappreciative and ungrateful for the wonderful blessing of His beautiful Words, these wonderful gifts that He's given you straight from His Hand.

89. I understand that it may take some time for you to get used to the new way the Lord is speaking to us today. I understand that it's an adjustment to read so much prophecy in the GNs after reading Letters from Dad for years. But the Lord promised in the Wine Taster prophecy that your taste for the new wine would grow with time, until you'd feel very comfortable with it, and you'd find it very feeding. So please don't give up on reading the prophecies. I've heard many people testify that they too had a hard time getting fed from prophecy in the beginning, but they kept reading by faith, and now they love it and find it very edifying and easy to read.

90. But if you just practically ignore the prophecies and don't appreciate them or take the time to read them carefully, it's like you're living in poverty in your little cardboard shack with a large chest full of gold coins under your bed! You know it's there but you're too lazy to do anything with it; you're content to live in your shabbiness and lack, when the things you need are right at your fingertips!

Jewelry House Prophecy!

91. To help us better understand the marvelous ways of the Spirit World, the Lord often uses word–pictures, like the one above about the chest of gold under your bed. Recently‚ when describing the value of the wonderful Words the Lord gives us‚ He used another word-picture. He gave a remarkable analogy about how my getting out His Words is like preparing beautiful jewels for our jewelry house. He said to me:

92. (Prophecy:) "You have discovered a new vein, a rich mother lode* of precious jewels and diamonds, rubies and sapphires, precious metals! You have struck it rich!—For you have tapped in to the Spirit of God! I pour out to you My jewels in great abundance, and it brings great riches and great wealth of the Spirit to you! *(a rich or main vein of ore in an area or mine)

93. "So do I make your jewelry house the premiere jewelry house, the richest and fullest, the freest. And with this abundance you can cut and polish and pour forth more jewels than ever before!—You can flood the market!

94. "With this great abundance I make jewels for all men‚ that all may find the jewels that they like, that touch them, that speak to them. Some jewels attract some people and other jewels attract other people, but they receive the jewels that are for them, and for them those jewels are of great‚ great beauty, of great, great value.

95. "So give forth! Hold not back! For I have led you to the mother lode of God that you may share the riches and the wealth of My Spirit with My children, and with the world."

96. I hope this beautiful word picture helps you to look at prophecy in a new light, and value it as the Lord does. We are so rich in the Spirit, so blessed with abundant new wine! We should value this new Word as the Heavenly treasure that it is‚ and feast on it daily for our inspiration and strength!

Keep Drinking the Old Wine, but Don't Miss the New!—Grass and Grain Prophecy!

97. Let me tell you, if you don't start feeding on this Word you're going to be left behind. You're going to solidify. You're going to become an old bottle! Because if you don't want the Word and if you have alienated yourself from it, then you can't go any further, and like Dad said, if you are not going forward you're going backward. You can't just stay put!

98. You are going to find yourself left way behind trying to operate on yesterday's instructions. You're going to miss quite a few grades and then it is going to take you quite a while to catch up. If you're not reading and absorbing His Words for today you are going to miss all kinds of wonderful new things the Lord is showing us and the exciting directions He is giving us and the wonderful Words He's showering upon us. You won't be benefiting from His Truth because you're unreceptive, thinking you know what's best or what's right. You decide that the new wine doesn't taste exactly the way you want it to, so if you can't have it your way then you're not going to have it at all. You decide you like the old wine better and you don't want this funny-tasting new wine.

99. Well‚ if you are going to read the old Word, at least that's doing something! But if you're not reading the latest news, hot off the Heavenly griddle, then you're really missing something! The Lord is still speaking! Dad is still speaking! He's even giving us new Letters straight from Heaven! The Lord is pouring it out, answering our questions, giving His directions! How can you not read it? How can you not be interested? If you're not listening to me, if you're not listening to Dad, if you're not listening to the Lord, if you're not absorbing what the Lord is giving today, then you're going to dry up spiritually! You're going to miss where God is going, and you're going to end up being an old bottle who only likes it the way things used to be.

100. I'm not saying that you shouldn't read the older Letters. Peter and I read from them every morning together. They're wonderful! They are so feeding and full of instruction and guidance that is applicable for today. So by all means keep reading them. Just don't neglect the Word the Lord is giving today. Don't let the Devil keep you from feeding on God's new Words, His new revelations, and even Dad's new Letters. We need both‚ the old and the new! Recently in prophecy, the Lord said to Peter and me:

101. (Prophecy:) "You are the shepherds. Your job is to feed the sheep. Your job is to receive the grain and to pass it on to them. Their job is to eat it and to let it strengthen them and give them sustenance and joy, and to help them grow. There is much grass in the field that they can eat, that they are content with, but they must also eat of the grain to be fattened and strengthened, for the grass is not enough. The grass is there to feed them and to keep them from going hungry in–between the feedings of the grain. But they need the grain because it is the food that fattens them, makes them useful and grows them. And those that say, `But we are content with just the grass' will find that they don't grow; that they are sustained and they do not diminish and they do not die, for it is food, but for them to fully grow they need to feed at the hand of the shepherds.

102. "So it is with the written Words and the Words of David. They are good Words and they are feeding Words and they are life–giving Words. And all need them, all must read them, for it is as the grass that gives them sustenance. But to go forward and to go onward in the places where I am leading‚ so must they also eat the grain at the hand of the shepherds and receive it, that they may have a balanced diet. For both are needed and neither should be rejected.

103. "But he that thinks that he can eat only the grass and is not in need of the grain, deceives himself. For he is as one who says‚ `I only need the Bible and I need nothing else, for it is enough.' But look at those who stayed with only the Bible and did not move forward. Are they not solidified?" (End of prophecy.)

104. So if you don't want to solidify into a brittle old bottle, I suggest you start drinking in His new wine! Keep drinking the old, but don't miss the new. We need them both!

Open Your Hearts with Faith and Receive the New Wine!

105. Dad gave a very inspired talk (via prophecy) to Peter and I about all the new wine the Lord is pouring forth, which I think will help you have more faith in how the Lord is working these days, and will encourage you to keep receiving the new Words He is giving.

106. (Prophecy, Dad speaking:) "Folks, it is a new day! That's what I said would happen when I was gone, that Maria would pour forth the Words by the handfuls! Before‚ she just gave it out kernel by kernel, but now she pours it forth by handfuls. You know, I taught you all to be revolutionary, moving in all kinds of directions but never straying from the center. Moving first one direction, spinning and spinning in a revolution and then turning and spinning in another direction, but all on the same axis, Jesus. Well, that hasn't changed.

107. "But goodness, if I ever taught you anything it was to be ready for the new! I was constantly changing things because the Lord was constantly changing things! We moved this direction, then we turned and went that direction‚ because I was following the Lord. I was listening to what He said and I was passing it on to you and you received it.

108. "You didn't think that was all going to end when I passed on, did you? You didn't think that everything would become solidified and that there would be no change after I was gone, did you? You didn't think that the Lord would stop speaking and leading? I told you that He would keep speaking, that He would keep speaking through Mama‚ and that she would pour forth unto you, and she's doing it! She's doing it in the way appointed by God Himself. So why do you tremble? Why do you fear? Is it because the wine stretches and stretches and stretches your bottle?

109. "And what did I say before?—If you wanted to remain as a new bottle, you had to pour out the old and receive the new! That doesn't mean that you pour it out upon the ground and it is no longer useful. It means that it is properly aged and you bottle it and you use it accordingly, but you have to have receptive vessels to receive the new.

110. "So don't worry and don't fret. Don't fear. Goodness, there is lots that the Lord wants to give and will give and is giving, and there is more to come. So empty out your bottles, your wineskins, your vats! Empty them out of the old and bottle it and keep it and drink it when needed, for it is vintage wine that will strengthen you and cheer your hearts. But what is poured forth now is new wine, new direction for this new day. And believe me, you need it! You need it for what's ahead. Take my word for it.

111. "The old wine and the ancient wine is all still good, it's all still wine, it's all still usable, it's all still instructive, it's all still true, and you must apply it with wisdom and by the Spirit of God. But don't reject that which is new based on that which was past. Receive it as new wine. Receive it as new Words. It adds to that which has already been given, for it gives you new instruction for this day. It builds upon that which has been built before. It adds to it; it does not subtract from it.

112. "Even if you can't understand it all‚ don't worry, you certainly couldn't understand everything that I gave.—I didn't even understand it all! But I gave it in faith and you received it in faith. And that's the name of the game—faith! Faith to trust, faith to believe, faith to receive, and faith to be blessed. For without faith it is impossible to please Him.

113. "So open your hearts with faith and receive, just as you received the Words that I gave. Even those that you did not understand, even those that were difficult to believe, you just received by faith. And when you did, the Lord blessed you. So receive that which the Lord is pouring forth unto you now‚ by faith that you will be blessed and that you will continue to be the children of David." (End of prophecy.)

114. So there you have it, the Lord's and Dad's encouragement to drink in and prosper from His wonderful new wine! "Taste and see that the Lord is good!" Praise the Lord!

Acts of Love and Kindness!

115. There have been a number of situations that have come up lately where the Lord has spoken to the hearts of some Family members, asking them to do something very sacrificial, out of the ordinary and very loving‚ giving beyond what they were used to. No one other than the Lord told them to do these things, they were just faithful to pray and to follow the Lord's leading. I can't say how proud I am of these ones, how thankful I am that they had enough love to lay aside their own plans, wants and desires and to prefer the needs of their brethren over their own. They have understood the true spirit of the Charter‚ Love—the Love of God, laying down your life for your brethren. They are exhibiting the kind of love that the Lord is trying to move us all toward, the sacrificial love that should be a usual occurrence in all our lives. God bless you for your love! If I were with you I would kiss you over and over in thanksgiving. You're doing it! You're getting the point! You're hitting the mark! You're doing the thing that's most important!

116. One such group of Family members were those from Houston who immediately went to Austin as soon as they heard about the accident. Christie, Phil and Shiloh, Rebecca YA and David YA, as well as Rose, Abner and Abi. These brethren were there to help the injured teens and their parents. They took care of the myriad of details that needed to be attended to, went without sleep and food and gave their all. God bless each one of you. I'm proud of you! I'm also very proud of those of you who came later to help as well, and for those of you who attended the funeral, offering support and comfort to the survivors and the parents. Thanks also to you who have taken the injured teens into your Homes, including David and Clare and family, who also were a great help in many legal errands and research. Thanks also to you who made it possible for others to go from your Homes and minister in Austin. What a Family we have!

117. In another example, sweet Ginny in Japan was in prayer for our dear sister Heidi in Australia before Heidi went to be with the Lord. She had never met Heidi or her husband Peter before, but the Lord clearly spoke to her about their need for help, and so she left her husband and children in Japan and went to help care for Heidi and the children. Thank you, Ginny, for being so sacrificial‚ so obedient and so full of the Lord's Love. Thank you also, Christie, who went to help with Heidi as well. You, too, sacrificially left your family behind to do the loving thing. And thank you, Paul and Faithy, Sarah, and of course sweet Peter for taking such wonderful care of Heidi. I'm proud of all of you!

118. Gideon (formerly Apelles) laid down his life sacrificially for many months caring for Thai Abe, who was very ill with a malignant brain tumor, but who left this life on October 5th and was united with the Lord and all our loved ones in his Heavenly Home. Praise the Lord! Right before his Homegoing, the Lord gave wonderful words of comfort and encouragement through prophecy for Abe and his wife and son. During that prayer and prophecy session, Dad also spoke to Gideon, giving him a message which I think could be applied to all of you who have ministered sacrificially to the sick:

119. (Prophecy, Dad speaking:) "Thank you, dear son, Gideon‚ for laying down your life. I know it doesn't look like a very glorious ministry, and a lot of your labors have been unseen, but don't doubt for a minute that the Lord knows every tear you've cried, and every prayer you've prayed, and every hour that you have lovingly cared for Abe in his hour of need. This service of love will not go unrewarded! The Lord will heap it on you more than you will be able to receive! Blessings and blessings and blessings are coming your way from the Lord because of your service of love.

120. "It's a wonderful thing in the eyes of the Lord that you are willing to lay down your life in an unseen ministry, and sacrifice where there is no apparent glory and there is no reward or praise of men. But you've been a living saint and the Lord will crown you with many crowns because of your loving service.

121. "You're a faithful shepherd, loving and kind and considerate. The months that you laid down your life for this one, who is weak and struggling, have helped to mold you and make you an even better shepherd, a better healer and tender of wounds.

122. "So thank you, dear son, for your faithfulness, and for your love, and for those around you who have also been a support and help with their prayers and with their kindness and with their love and their service.

123. "This is what makes our Family so special! It's this love that is given, even when there is nothing to be gained‚ and serving of one another with a sacrificial spirit. It's so beautiful! It's so precious!" (End of prophecy.)

124. Right before the Charter came out, a couple in Australia was asked by a single mom with a number of children if she could team up with them. Right after the Charter this couple prayed and received confirmation through various Scriptures that it was the Lord's will for them to invite her to the Home. The Home agreed. However, soon after the Feast, another couple expressed a desire and burden to work with them, who already had a successful puppet show and thus would arrive with a ready–made ministry to help the Home in their outreach.

125. Having both the couple and the single mom join the Home would have made the Home too large, so they had to make a decision. They prayed about it and the Lord showed them that He had originally led them to take the single mom and that this was His will. So they invited her and the children to join them. God bless you and your Home. I'm proud of you! I'm so proud of all of you who have taken in our single moms and are so lovingly caring for them. You've caught the true spirit of our Love Charter. You are making someone else's needs and happiness your goal. Such love will not go unrewarded!

126. In another case, a live–out couple in Japan took two of their children, a 3- and 5-year-old, with them to buy vegetables. It was raining hard, so they left the children in the car with the windows rolled up while they jumped out of the car in front of the vegetable stand. They were there only about five minutes when they looked up and saw a fire in the car! One of the children was playing with the cigarette lighter and the clothes of the 5-year–old burst into flames, causing severe, widespread burns.

127. The parents have seven other children whom they home school, and both also have to work to make ends meet. The local Home sent people to the hospital every day and sent an adult to be with their children at their home during this time, but felt they needed to do more than that. They prayed and the Lord showed them to take this couple's children into the Home so that the couple could be free to be at the hospital as much as possible to pray for their daughter. They have been caring for the children for the last few months. Here's what the Home said about this:

128. "This was a test of what our love is really made of. Do we only talk about love and prayer, and are we limiting this to those of the `DO' circle? Of course‚ we would help those in the Family‚ but how about those who are no longer in the Family, but have been faithfully tithing and fellowshipping all these years? Someone brought up the question, `Do they have family that could help them?' But the immediate thought that came was, `We are their family! We're all that they have!' The Lord showed us through prophecies that we should extend our love to them and do all that we can to help them.

129. "We are seeing that when something like this happens‚ it doesn't just affect those that are intimately involved, like the parents, but we all should take it to heart. We see that we can't just go along business as usual, but we have to lay down our own personal desires and goals to help our brethren in distress. People's lives are so much more important than our personal pet projects at a time like this."

130. Hearing of such acts of love and kindness just makes me cry with thankfulness and gratitude for the wonderful love shown by our sweet Family members. I'm sure there are many more acts of love shown by you, our precious Family‚ but I heard about these in particular and wanted to share them with you. When I hear of such love I know that the Family is going to be all right, because I know that it is this kind of sacrificial love that the Lord richly blesses! "Give and it shall be given you!" (Luk.6:38).

131. We are praying that each one of us will pull together as one, that we will be melted together in His Love! Sometimes doing the loving thing is difficult, it can be rough on you personally. But no matter how hard it is, no matter how sacrificial, the Lord will bless you for helping others.

132. To me, this is what the Love Charter is all about—loving one another‚ putting the needs of others before our own, doing to others what we would have others do to us. How about you? Is that what the Charter means to you as well? Are you being motivated by love, by concern for others? Are you being led by the Love of Christ? Are you esteeming others better than yourself? Are you serving one another in love? Are you in honor preferring one another? I believe that many of you are and I'm proud of you for it!

Choose the Way of Love and Sacrifice!

133. Here's something very thought-provoking that the Lord gave us the other day about making choices and doing the loving thing. This is a very, very important message from the Lord that I hope you'll read over several times and even refer back to frequently. This is what the love revolution is all about, this is what 100% dedication to Jesus means!

134. (Prophecy:) "Everything that happens in life is for a purpose. It is as a test. It is an opportunity to make a choice. According to your choices you will be rewarded, some with great reward and some with less reward. Those who choose the way of love and sacrifice and giving will be those who receive reward upon reward.

135. "I see things differently than you see them. For what is more valuable? A ministry? A place of service? A life of seeming usefulness? A place of honor in the eyes of man? Is that what is of most value?—Or is it of greater value to love, the unseen moments of love and giving and sacrifice?

136. "What is more important? For I say that many shall be surprised when they come into My Heavenly Kingdom to see the great importance of love, the hidden, unseen acts of love, the giving of love. For to love is more important than service‚ more important than ministries, more important than many things that you think are so fruitful. These things you ought to have done but not to have left the other, the most important‚ undone, and that is to love.

137. "Behold, this is a day of choice, this is a day of challenge. This is a day when I am saying unto all of the children of David: How much will you love? How much will you think of others? How much will you give of yourselves? How much will you forsake your own personal plans, your preferences, your freedom, your independence, your immediate desires, to be able to give love to those who are in need?

138. "There are many who have given of themselves—their time, their lives, their personal families. I wish to reward these and to show them My Love in a tangible, obvious way. But I am limited in showing My Love by the choices that you make.

139. "For have not I said many times that I have no eyes but your eyes, no lips but yours, no hands but yours? Much of the love that I show can only be shown through another. Much of the comfort and encouragement and affection that I wish to bestow upon My children can only be given through another.

140. "I have ordained and designed it this way that you might have need one for another, that it might draw you close in tight unity, that you might be bonded together in love.—That no one would be an island and no one would be self-sufficient, but that you would need one another and depend on one another, for in this will be your strength. So I have ordained it that My Love can best be shown through another." (End of prophecy.)

141. This says a lot, doesn't it! It's amazing how the Lord just packed these few paragraphs with such important truths. Let's list the outstanding points. I like to do that, it helps me to remember it better. I'm sure it does the same for you. Of course, every word is important, and you can't get the whole thing unless you really study it over carefully. But here are the major points:

1.) Everything in life that comes your way is an opportunity for you to make a choice.

2.) According to your choices you will be rewarded.

3.) Love will receive the greatest rewards.

4.) To love is more important than service, more important than ministries‚ although you should do both.

5.) This is the day of testing‚ to see how much you will love.

6.) God needs you in order to show His Love to others!

7.) The reason God has made it so that in some cases we can only feel His Love through another of His children is so that we'll be dependent upon each other and so that we'll have to work together in unity‚ because in this is our strength.

Some Problems with Disunity

142. Unfortunately, not everyone is making the choice to love! There are several large metropolitan areas in which there are a number of Homes that seem to be spending a great deal of their time bickering, complaining about each other, arguing, etc. If that's you, then you'd better decide to get together with the others in your area and have desperate prayer for forgiveness and unity. God help us if we're so immature that we can't meet and pray about misunderstandings, but instead we murmur and complain and get critical of each other!

143. If right now you or your Home feel that people from another Home or Homes in your area have hurt you or wronged you and that is causing you to feel bad towards them, or if you know that they feel bad towards your Home, then it is your Christian duty to make amends! Jesus said, "Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother‚ and then come and offer thy gift" (Mat.5:23-24).

144. Dad has taught us that love, prayer and humility solve all problems! From the sounds of it, some of you Homes need a good dose of all three! The Enemy is trying to defeat your work, the work of winning your city for Jesus. As Dad said‚ "Our spiritual Enemy is always looking for a weakness, a way to enter our defenses, and is casting fiery darts into the city of our own fellowship, trying to sow dissension, jealousy, covetousness‚ bickering, selfishness and internal discord so we'll get so busy fighting amongst ourselves we won't even notice our walls of spiritual strength from the Lord are crumbling from neglect or smoldering with sin, giving a place for the Enemy to enter in and destroy us and God's work" (ML #70:42).

145. Is that your Home? Is that what's happening in your area? If it is, then you should contact the other Homes and arrange a meeting where the shepherds can pray and desperately cry out to the Lord to restore unity. Let's not let selfishness and a lack of love destroy God's work. "By this shall all men know that you are My disciples, if you have love one for another" (Jn.13:35). Do you have love? Are you a disciple? Are you showing love to your brothers and sisters? Are you loving them by forgiving them? Can't you work out these problems together in love and harmony? I received the following report from our CROs in Latin America‚ which illustrates the point that I'm making:

146. "Over the past months there has been great disunity amongst the Homes in one of our major cities. The work there had become very fruitful, with many solid friends and supporters, but the Enemy got in through disunity when the former Homes split up into new teams. The main source of the contention was over material possessions and belongings. The brethren would no longer even enter one another's Homes, and even our friends were commenting on how much bickering was going on. As this situation needed some urgent help, we had to send one of the CROs to try to help restore unity. After spending personal time with almost everyone and hearing all sides of the story, a united meeting was held with the members of the Homes. They read selected quotes, had prayer, communion, and asked the Lord to speak. A real breakthrough was made in the Spirit, and everyone apologized, confessed, cried and prayed together. We would appreciate your continued prayers for unity to be restored and that the work will become more fruitful as a result."

147. Is this the situation in your city? Or is it heading in that direction? If it is, please don't wait until it gets so bad that one of the CROs has to intervene! Remember, the Love Charter says that a DO Home "works in harmony with other Homes in the Continental Area, country or city." So, if yours isn't, please get together now and let Jesus heal the wounds. Won't you?

Unloving Actions Cannot Be Condoned!

148. Unfortunately this is not the only time we have heard of such disunity, bitterness and bickering between Home members or Homes. We understand that there have been other misunderstandings and conflicts when Homes were closing and the members wanted to divide up the assets of their Home.

149. For example‚ in one situation, there were accusations that some of the brethren took more than their share of the Home's property, and that others demonstrated extreme selfishness and lack of willingness to share the material goods of the Home, even though there was apparently an abundance of witnessing tools, furniture, equipment, etc.—enough to go around fairly to all involved. Others were accused of trying to weasel around the rules of the Charter and wangle ways to get more than their share of the goods—sometimes apparently even through rather fraudulent means. Apparently, by the time these brethren separated, one was overheard saying that he would rather punch one of the other men in the nose than say good-bye to him!

150. Hearing such reports makes me so very sad!—And so disappointed that Family members would act in such cold, selfish, unloving ways. Of course, when things get this bad in a Home and there are so many hurt feelings, misunderstandings‚ and so much division and criticism of one another, it's hard for us to get an accurate or balanced picture of exactly what has really happened. There are so many sides to the story that it's difficult to know who is right and who is wrong. In such a sad instance, I would venture to say that most likely all the Home members were guilty to some degree. But defining exactly who is to blame is not the point I'm making here. I want to expose these inside attacks of the Enemy, so you'll be more aware of his evil devices and be better able to fight against them. As Dad has taught us, the Devil's slogan is divide and conquer. To be in such disunity and to live with so much contention and backbiting and lack of love between yourselves is sin! How this must hurt the Lord! How it must hurt the faith of others!

151. I'm ashamed of any of you who would deliberately conduct yourselves in ways that you know are not loving, which is so unlike how true Christians and dedicated Family members should act. If you're going to try to use the Love Charter to your own ends to demand your "rights," you'd better watch out! It's not going to work for long! I suggest that you read the parts under "Responsibilities and Rights of Individual DO Family Members" that say, "A DO Family member should endeavor to live by the principles of the Law of Love: To love and care for‚ and interact lovingly and harmoniously with all members of the Home in which they reside‚ and with the Family members at large!" (Point 1.E, page 3).

152. I also suggest that you consider some of the other clauses like, "Endeavor to fulfill the Scriptural injunction to `bear one another's burdens,' to put the needs of the Home and its members before their own" (Point 1.J‚ page 6). What about, "exhibiting the fruits of the Holy Spirit, which are: Love‚ joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance"? (Point 1.A, page 1). Apparently some of you have ignored these and many other clauses.

153. Such unloving actions contravene the whole spirit of the Charter! I am praying for those of you who are guilty of such behavior, that the Lord will speak to your hearts and help you to learn much-needed lessons. I also hope that the guilty ones will apologize to those whom they have wronged, and try to undo the damage in some way and somehow make amends and restore unity.

Examine Yourself and See Where You Stand!

154. I hate to say this, but I suspect that there have been quite a few of you who have been guilty of focusing too much on the "rights" side of the Charter, while forgetting or ignoring the "responsibilities" side. I suggest that each of you re-read the Introduction to the Charter and the first 10 pages.

155. The Love Charter has been in place now for six months, so it might be a good time to review how you have personally been living up to the Responsibilities of the DO member. Overall, I believe most of you have been. The majority of the reports are positive, and as we have already shown via the stats, there has been a great deal of progress made. But what about you personally? How are you doing? How do you measure up according to the Charter? Are you living up to the responsibilities?

156. Dad once wrote, "I would often ask myself the question, `What have I done with my life? What am I doing with my life? Am I really accomplishing the highest and greatest purpose that God has in store for me?’" (ML #1330:39). That's a good question for all of us to ask ourselves regularly. But right now perhaps you should think about it in terms of the last six months, since the Charter has been in place.

157. Ask yourself these questions: What have I been doing for the Lord? Am I confident that I am doing what the Lord wants me to be doing? Have I been seeking the Lord in prayer and the Word for His direction in my life? Have I been loving to others? Have I been unselfishly thinking about the needs of others? Have my interactions with others and with my Home been loving? Am I doing my best for Jesus and the Family? Have I been living all of the Charter, or just the parts that suit me? When the Charter came out, my faith was set free to find its own level—where do I stand today? What kind of a disciple am I today?

158. Just this morning when we were asking the Lord what message He had for you, He said the following:

159. (Prophecy:) "Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature! Lovest thou Me? Feed My sheep. Lovest thou Me? Pour forth My Words to the lost, the lonely and the needy. For this is the commission that I have given unto you, My disciples, to you that live for Me, to you that love Me! If you love Me, keep My commandments.

160. "For I have loosed the bonds that have bound you that you might be free to preach My Gospel to the lost and to the lonely, to the needy. Has this been the result? Yes, it has been the result in the lives of many of you. But for some of you, the loosening of the bonds has not sent you forth to preach the Gospel‚ but instead you have served your own desires.

161. "So ask yourself: Is what you are doing that which preaches My Gospel or makes it possible for others to preach My Gospel? Or is it going to make it possible for you to preach My Gospel? I loosed the bonds to free you to preach My Gospel. Is that what it's done for you? Are you in the place that I would have you to be in?—Or are you in the place of your own choosing? Are you in the place that fulfills My will, that the Gospel may be preached? Are you preaching the Gospel? Are you helping others to preach the Gospel?

162. "Examine yourself, and see where you stand in the faith, where you stand in My will. For My will is to preach the Gospel, whether you be he that preaches it, or whether you be he that allows others to preach it‚ or whether you be he that cares for others that preach it, or whether you be he that assists others that preach it. So examine yourself and see where you stand." (End of prophecy.)

163. The Lord is asking each of us to examine ourselves to see if what we are doing is preaching the Gospel in some way or another!—Either going out on the front lines ourselves, or helping those who do in some way, like taking care of the children; assisting those who preach it, like those of you who are working behind the scenes translating or doing office work; or caring for others that preach it, like those of you who do cooking, provisioning, etc. He even asks if what you are doing is going to make it possible for you to preach it, which could mean any number of things, such as learning a foreign language, building a puppet show, training a group of children to sing and dance, outfitting a bus to be a camper to go on the road, etc. He is saying that everything we do should be directed toward preaching the Gospel. Are your decisions making it possible for you or others to preach the Gospel? If not‚ you should pray further about His will for you.

Cautions on Driving!

164. Whenever there is a major change‚ a revolution‚ there is an initial period when some of those who were bound try to see how far they can go with their new-found freedom, and often go too far! During the RNR in 1978, this was a major problem. Once Dad broke the "Chain" and fired the leadership, a great number of the Family threw over all the rules and basically did their own thing! Dad had to write a number of Letters to rein things in a bit. Thankfully, this has not happened to the same extent with the Charter, perhaps because the Family has matured greatly over the years.

165. For the most part you have acted responsibly‚ have followed the Charter and have used it with wisdom. I'm very thankful that this has been true with most of you young people as well! I've been impressed that so many of you have been prayerful about where the Lord wants you and that you now have the faith to follow through on what He has shown you.

166. There are some of you young people, though, who have acted a bit like the preachers' kids that Dad talked about: "I've seen many a preacher's kid who was reared narrowly and prohibitively who absolutely went wild when he first got away from home, because he didn't know how to handle his new-found freedom!" (ML #728:20). Some of you have gone overboard with your "rights." In fact, some have claimed some "rights" that weren't even granted in the Love Charter! Well‚ I expected that to happen for the first few months, but now we've had enough of that! It's time to examine where you personally stand.

167. Some of you are being downright irresponsible in different areas of your life. For example, in driving, one YA was speeding, but noticed a police car, so slowed down. The policeman didn't see him until after he had slowed down, but since he was still speeding, pulled him over and issued him a ticket, which stated that he was going 80 miles an hour (130 kilometers per hour), his "slowed-down" speed. That kind of conduct‚ folks, is immature‚ not to mention reckless, disobedient and utterly foolish!

168. After hearing about this incident and others similar to it, and then having experienced the Austin accident, we are now praying more about the Family driving rules. A recent news clip from the Internet states that research has shown that teenage accidents happen primarily because of recklessness and inexperience. The (US) Insurance Institute for Highway Safety says that "inexperience is compounded by a youthful sense of invulnerability and an attraction to thrill-seeking." I hope to God you young people don't entertain such foolish attitudes!

169. People should not be allowed to be drivers if they're not going to keep the rules! It's a serious responsibility to be transporting God's valuable people in a vehicle. If you have someone in your Home who drives too fast, then it is your duty to do something about it. Their driving privileges should be temporarily suspended by the teamwork of the Home if they deliberately continue to speed after being warned! The Charter states: "Some people who have valid driver's licenses really aren't very good drivers. So if someone is not prayerful and/or careful or safe, then the Home may vote to revoke their driving privilege, at least for a given period of time.... Any driver who causes an accident, or who has to be repeatedly warned about reckless or unsafe driving, including speeding or not tuning in to his or her driving, should have his or her driving ability questioned" (Driving Rules‚ point D, page 129).

170. If your Home has a vehicle, you need to read the driving rules on pages 129 and 130 of the Charter, and obey them. You'll notice that it states that only prayerful, careful and safe drivers should be permitted to drive. Which means, of course, that this young man who was going 80 miles per hour at his "slow" speed does not fall into this category!

171. Just because someone has reached the legal age to obtain a driver's license does not automatically make him or her a reliable driver. Driving is not for everyone! You might get your license by passing the tests required, but how much you actually drive is dependent on how good a driver you are! If you're not a good dependable driver, then you shouldn't be driving, whether you have a license or not! So I don't want to hear any more about you teens or YAs pressuring your shepherds or almost demanding that your shepherds let you drive. Driving is a privilege, not a right! It can be denied or taken from you at any time by your Home if you do not drive prayerfully and carefully.

172. Also, just because you get your driver's license doesn't make you a full-fledged full-time driver from one day to the next. A lot of driving skill is learned through experience.—Experience that we strongly suggest should be gained over time for new drivers, by driving with an experienced and skilled driver during daylight hours under optimum conditions! Inexperienced drivers should begin their driving ministry slowly, and gradually gain more driving privileges and responsibility as they gain experience and show themselves trustworthy, responsible, and gifted for driving. Yes, I said "gifted." Some people are just gifted by the Lord as better drivers than others. They are more prayerful, more alert‚ and show more ability to anticipate danger and react as needed. Such good drivers are the ones that should do the bulk of the Home's driving duties whenever possible.

173. We suggest that new or inexperienced drivers of any age only gain more driving privileges as they gain experience and maintain a good driving record. That way they gradually take on more responsibility behind the wheel and aren't just thrust out on the road haphazardly with full driving privileges. So please use common sense with your new drivers. For example, it would be ridiculous to send an inexperienced new driver out on urgent business at dusk or night, in heavy traffic, or in the rain! Such conditions make it much easier to have an accident. It's hard enough to drive under difficult conditions when you're an experienced driver‚ much less when you're a beginner!

174. Driving is dangerous! It requires desperate prayer‚ alertness and spiritual maturity. You have the lives of others in your hands! From what I've heard, the way some of you have been driving is a far cry from the way Dad has taught us! Have you young people who have just gotten your licenses read what Dad has had to say? I highly recommend that you do. It is your duty to do so! (See "Have Faith, Will Travel," ML #150; "What Every Driver Should Know," ML #851-1 to 6; "Dad, the Back-Seat Driver‚" FNENC, pages 1079, 1105.)

175. Yes, your life is in the hands of the Lord, but when you are in a vehicle, you also put your life and well-being into the hands of the person who is behind the wheel! If you don't do all you can to protect your bodies, which are the temples of the Holy Spirit (1Cor.3:16‚17), then the Lord may not be able to take care of you. If by negligence or unprayerfulness or disobedience you take yourself out of the circle of His protection, you may have to learn your lessons the hard way.

176. What kind of person are you allowing to drive your vehicle? Are they prayerful? Are they generally yielded? Are they the kind of person that you would trust to drive your children? Are you praying for them and helping them in their driving? Are you reminding them to pray? Driving is serious business! It's a life-and-death matter! Please be sober and prayerful about it. As Dad admonished, "The driver's seat is one of the most responsible and dangerous positions in the world! Take it seriously and ask God for help" (MOP 4:1).

177. We are working on a new publication about driving which will come out in the not too distant future, God willing, but in the meantime here is some advice which I strongly recommend you follow:

1. No one should drive if they have drunk any alcoholic beverage.
2. Wear your seat belts, whether it's the law in your country or not.
3. Keep to the speed limit.
4. Don't have music blasting in the vehicle; the driver needs to hear what's going on around his vehicle.
5. Don't drive vehicles that are unsafe.
6. Don't be in a rushed spirit while driving. If you are, you are in a dangerous spirit!
7. Don't distract the driver.

The Enemy is going about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. Don't let him devour you, but instead, have the power of God's protection through obedience and prayerfulness!

178. As a last point on the subject of driving‚ I want to add a comment that we just received from Ruth Davidson. She said:

179. "After hearing about the serious traffic accident in Austin, Texas, I was reminded of a warning we were given by Dad many years ago. As I recall, it was shortly after he and Mama had gone abroad to pioneer, and they were in Cyprus at the time. Nearly the entire Family was still centered in the United States—in California, Texas, Kentucky and Ohio. Dad had such an intense dream that he sent a message to all the Homes, warning all the drivers to be very careful and to drive cautiously, as in his dream he had seen several of our members in a serious traffic accident in the southern part of the U.S. He wasn't sure which state it was, just that it was in the southern part of the United States. It was so vivid that everyone was on the alert and quite sober and serious about their driving.

180. "Regarding the Austin accident, to our recollection, we've never had such a serious accident involving so many. Maybe this was the accident Dad envisioned 25 years ago. That early warning from Dad encouraged all Family drivers at that time to put a little written `Pray before driving!' reminder on the dashboard of every Family vehicle."

181. Yes‚ drivers, pray and be alert, sober and serious!—Not only before driving, but while driving! You have the lives of God's precious children in your hands!

Live Phone Calls and Gossip!

182. Another problem that has come to my attention is in regard to live phone calls. I know you may have to make live calls once in awhile, but the Charter does state that, "Members must use secure phone procedures and preferably use modems instead of live phone calls between Homes" (Point 9.G, page 131). I've been hearing that many of you—and again I'm afraid I'm having to target you young people, though I know you're not the only guilty ones—are making all kinds of live phone calls‚ even long distance and sometimes international ones. You get on the phone and just chat away, gossiping, telling all the local news, who's going where, who's doing what, who's marrying who. I've got news for you, you are contravening the Charter and going against Dad's admonitions in "Telephone Traitors!" (See ML #315A:4,15-19.) This has got to stop, folks! It's not only bad security, it's also bad spiritually! It's often vain babbling and unneeded chatter! Let's put an end to it! It's also a waste of God's money! One YA Home had a $300 phone bill which most of the YAs skipped out on! I'd better not hear of any more of that!

Choices!—And We Still Believe in Shepherding!

183. In spite of these problems, most of you, thank the Lord, have acted maturely and prayerfully. In fact, I've been very happy with the good fruit so many of you have been bearing. I've also been pleased with how most of you are working pretty well together and that you're listening to counsel, cooperating with your Home teamwork and walking in the fear of the Lord. However‚ there are some of you who have not wanted to be shepherded and have misinterpreted the Charter, thinking that now that you have the right to make more choices, you shouldn't have to listen to anyone! In fact‚ you feel that since you can make choices, it means that you can basically do whatever you want.

184. You do have choices, but what you are supposed to be choosing is one of your options within God's will! Like Dad said in the Letter "Choice": "It pleases the Lord to give us our personal choice between several alternative goods, all within His will, if it is our personal desire, even as we would our own children in letting them pick out their own personal choice of a toy, or an outing, or a pleasure, as long as it is safe and good for them. This is one thing people don't seem to understand about God: He really likes to give us our choice, even as we do our own children, as long as it is not something bad for us, or bad for others" (ML #238:7). So you see, through the Charter, the Lord has given you voting members more leeway to choose what you personally want to do within the alternative good things available to you within God's will. You have more freedom to choose your ministry, your Home, your field‚ who you wish to live with, etc.

185. In order to find His will—where you should go or what ministry you should be involved in or who you should marry, etc.—you must bring these things to Him and ask Him what is His choice! You should be using the Seven Ways to Know God's Will. The Charter gives you an opportunity to make your own choices, but that doesn't include making choices outside God's will! It means choosing from different options within His will! The Charter isn't an invitation to do your own thing, it's an avenue to lead you to finding God's will for your life. It doesn't mean that we no longer believe in shepherding, it doesn't mean that you should no longer listen to others. It doesn't mean that you should shut out the voice of God through others, through Godly counsel. When you do, you are headed for some pretty rough times.

186. In a recent prophecy for someone who was refusing to listen to the Godly counsel of their shepherds and who was continuing to go their own way, with obvious bad results, the Lord said: "The one who refuses to listen to their brothers and their sisters, to their elders and their leaders, puts themselves in My hands alone. And as I have said, I do and will shepherd them. But he who will not be shepherded by Me through others must be shepherded by Me directly. They must face those things that I bring across their path to shepherd them, to teach them—experiences‚ afflictions, heartaches, hard sayings. For they choose not to listen to the counsel of the Godly, and thus must be shepherded through raw experience at My hands."

187. As you can see, the Lord is saying that it's better to let Him shepherd and teach you through others; and you can do that by being open and receptive to the counsel of your co-workers, shepherds, parents, etc. But if you refuse to receive their counsel and you won't let them shepherd you‚ the Lord says He will shepherd you Himself. However, this will probably be more difficult for you, because if you're not listening to the advice of your earthly shepherds, chances are you won't be very attentive to the Lord's direct instruction to you either. If you're not accustomed to hearing His voice through your shepherds, you probably won't be able to hear His still small voice very well, so He'll have to resort to using circumstances to get through to you, which may have quite a bit more impact than mere words! Afflictions‚ accidents and heartaches are more "brutal" teachers than Godly counsel! So, unless you want to learn by hard experience, just to be able to see what it's like, you would do well to accept the wise voice of experience from others. (Note: Of course, there are many other reasons that the Lord allows afflictions, accidents and heartaches in our lives‚ not just because we won't listen to Godly counsel and He's trying to teach us the hard way.)

188. Yes, teamworks, you are supposed to shepherd people! Just because they have some choices does not mean that you can't correct them or shepherd them. Of course, please remember that the best way to shepherd people is to help them find God's will for the situation or problem in question by going to the Word together with them‚ or praying with them. Rather than telling people what to do or what you think God's will is for them, pray and discuss it together with them to help them reach the right conclusions on their own. Most people are much more apt to follow through on a decision that they have reached themselves, with your help and guidance, than some order or directive that is simply passed down to them which they are expected to obey. (Please see "Serve One Another in Love," ML #2978, GN 623, for more tips on shepherding in this new day of the Charter.)

DO Members Must Accept Our Fundamental Beliefs

189. Something else about choices that seems to have been misinterpreted by some of you is thinking that you can choose which of our fundamental doctrines to believe. Some of you seem to think that you have a choice not to believe some of them! Well, in a way you do, but if you choose not to believe these fundamental doctrines, you need to choose if you wish to remain in the DO Family. To remain a DO member you must accept our fundamental beliefs.

190. I recently heard about one of our old–timers who had doubts about the Law of Love. He had been shepherding teens off and on for years and they looked up to him. He started sharing his battles and doubts about this subject with the teens. This, needless to say, had quite a negative impact on them!

191. I've got news for you folks, we aren't a "free thinking" society. (According to the World Book Encyclopedia, a "freethinker" is a person who refuses to accept the authority of a church or the Bible. A freethinker insists on the freedom to form religious opinions on the basis of his or her own reasoning powers. The name freethinker dates back to the 1700s.) We have definite fundamental teachings that DO members are supposed to believe. It's understandable that you may at times have some questions or even minor doubts about some of these things, but to be vocally promoting such doubts or disagreements is in violation of the Charter‚ not to mention that you are spreading discord among the brethren. If you have questions or need prayer and counseling about some doubt that you have‚ go to your shepherds, not to everyone else! Otherwise you're spreading doubt, creating division, and that's working against the Family and against the Lord!

We Continue to Be a Gideon's Band!

192. On another subject, some of you have expressed a great deal of concern that people are leaving the Family. It's true, some are‚ but they always have! Interestingly enough, the average number of people leaving the Family now is significantly less than the number who left during the same period last year, before the Charter was in place. We believe that the Charter has actually helped people to remain rather than leave. Nevertheless, some people are leaving, including some teens and YAs.

193. I'm sad about it, as I hate to see people step out of the Family because I know the Family is the best place to be. Yet I would rather see those that don't want to be with us leave, young or old, if they've tried everything and still can't be happy or feel fulfilled. We are not in the business of trying to build numbers. We have always been a Gideon's Band and we will continue to be. We are always going to lose people‚ because everyone has to make the choice to yield, to accept, to believe and to live the Word of God. You don't make those decisions just once, you make them every day.

194. Some people come to a point where they simply no longer wish to continue serving the Lord in the Family. There are many reasons why this happens. Sometimes they want to pursue other interests; they no longer want to live communally‚ or to go witnessing daily, or to have to give up some of their independence. Sometimes they don't receive and believe the new wine, or they don't want to yield to the Lord and make the sacrifices required to live the new wine. Others are so weak in their faith that when the Devil tempts them with doubts or fears, they aren't deeply rooted in the Word, and are thus unable to withstand his onslaughts.

195. Don't you think it's better that those who no longer are happy in the Family find a place where they will be happy? I pray that the people who leave the Family will find a place where they'll still be able to serve Jesus and be fruitful. Dad always taught us that this life of 100% discipleship isn't for everybody. So if people just can't make it‚ then I don't condemn them or look down on them. But we who want to serve Jesus all the way have to keep going! Those of us who choose to remain must believe that the Family is worth living and dying for, and we must choose of our own free will to live a life of sacrifice, obedience, and yieldedness. It's this total dedication that makes the Family strong.

196. We are seeing a fulfillment of what the Lord said in "Let Jesus Bear the Weight" when He said, "For I shake the tree and some of the fruit falls to the ground, even though it is not yet ripened. But this gives the tree more strength, for then it does not have to carry the weight of this fruit that is not truly, strongly connected to the tree; for when the tree shakes, it falls. This allows the tree to pour forth more nourishment into the fruit that remains, for it can concentrate on the strong, no longer having to carry the load and the weight and the nourishing of the weaker" (ML #2987:33, GN 629).

197. I know it's hard to take when you hear of people leaving‚ especially when it's our young ones, but those are the choices they have made. As Jesus said, "What is that to thee?—Follow thou Me" (John 21:22). Peter was reading me some of our older stats, and it's amazing that within two months of the RNR we lost 859 members, and over the next nine months we lost another 950 more. This meant we lost 34% of the Family within one year. That's a lot of people! But we carried on without them, and even grew stronger‚ because the Lord is with us. So in spite of some losses of those who decide to leave, we will continue the Lord's work and He will bless us and cause us to prosper‚ as long as we are pleasing Him.

198. I have heard of some cases where young people have left the Family mainly because they got weary in well–doing and fainted in their minds. They still love Jesus and the Family, but due to discouragement about their mistakes or weaknesses or NWOs, they felt they just weren't good enough or strong enough to make it in the Family. Their situation seemed hopeless to them, as they felt their problems separated them from the Lord and the rest of the Family‚ so they left. This is very sad. There is a big difference between people who leave the Family because they no longer believe in our fundamental beliefs and they just don't want to serve the Lord with us, and those who leave because they get so discouraged with themselves and feel so bad that they just basically give up and quit fighting.

199. If there are teens or YAs or others in your Home who are battling with discouragement or doubts, and who are thinking of leaving the Family because they feel so bad or so weak, please do all you can to encourage them and help them to make it. Don't just give up on them! Help them to hold on! Don't let the Enemy defeat them! Even if someone is having a very difficult time, but they're willing to hang on and fight with the little strength they do have‚ please do all you can to help them stick! (For more on this, please see "Overcoming Doubts," FSM 238.)

Dad on the Charter and Obeying the Rules!

200. Something that surprised me was that some of these folks actually gave as their reason for leaving that they thought the Love Charter was too restrictive, too legalistic, too binding on them. I have to believe that this was just an excuse! When I think of all the rules that we did not include in the Charter and the amount of freedom that is granted, I know that no one who really studied the Charter could sincerely believe this! In a recent prophecy, Dad had some words to say about the Charter and the rules that we still have, which I thought would be appropriate to share with you since we are examining the fruit of the Charter and its effect on the Family.

201. Here's what Dad said in a prophecy to one of our old-timers who was having some problems with obeying the rules: "We've tried to make it as easy as possible to be in the Family, and yet to still have the Family. We couldn't do away with all the rules, but we got rid of quite a few. So it's not too difficult now just to follow the ones that are there. son, as much as I love you, and as much as my heart goes out to you, those rules are still there, and it's pretty clear and it's pretty plain. As the Lord has said‚ it's the day of choices. Everybody is making'm, and so are you. But it's also the day of responsibility and everybody is being held responsible, and so are you‚ you're no different.

202. "Now you're out from under all that restrictive leadership that you've always felt bound you so much. You're out there pretty much on your own, son, but I'm there. I'm there in my Words, I'm there in the Charter. And when you're disobeying those, you're disobeying me.

203. "I know you love me, but like Jesus said, `If you love Me, keep My commandments.' You're keeping some of them. You're certainly witnessing, and you're certainly a missionary‚ but your actions act as a testimony against you, son. It doesn't have to be that way. With a bit of effort and prayer and self-discipline and yieldedness to others and listening to them, counseling together and letting others correct you and taking it, you can do it. The choice is yours, son. But once you choose to follow your own way instead of following the Charter, then you lose your choice because then others have to step in and say, `You're no longer up to the standard.'"

204. The following are a few other things that Dad has said in prophecy about the Charter: "Remember, the Love Charter met with my approval. I agreed to the rules!" "Goodness, take a look at that Charter! Talk about complicated!—It is complicated, but it's needed!" "I'm sorry we have to have some rules for the time being. Even though we have kept them to a minimum in the Charter, nevertheless we have had to implement some of these rules and regulations for the sake of the protection of our children around the world. I'm sure you understand."

205. So as you can see, Dad himself says that we've dropped quite a few rules but that the ones we have kept, need to be obeyed. Praise the Lord? I'm glad that most of you understand this and are following the rules that are in place. GBY!

God's Entrance Exams!

206. I've received reports that some of you, mainly our young people, have prayed about moving to a new Home or a new ministry and the Lord has confirmed that it is His will. But then when you get into the next place you start having battles, which makes you doubt that you're doing the right thing. One such report said:

207. "When the young people face battles and trials that don't pass quickly‚ they immediately think that something is wrong; that either they are doing something wrong or that something is wrong with the place. I've felt that it is the Lord growing us up and trying to teach us to be fighters, to hang on to Him and His promises, to relate to what was shared in the `Let Jesus Bear the Weight' GN. A teen recently joined our Home to get secretarial training and help in the office. She was so surprised that she had trials here, and after only two weeks she wondered if she had landed in the wrong place. She truly thought that if she was in God's will she wouldn't have trials, and was surprised when I read her `God's Entrance Exams' from `God's Little Miracles'."

208. I could say something about this, but I don't know that I could say it as well as Dad has, so I'll just share a few quotes from the Letter mentioned above:

209. "I've found almost always that the Lord gives me‚ or us, the most severe test at the very beginning. Just as it was with some of you when you first came to the camp or when you first joined the group, you had your worst test then, the most difficult test, because God was putting you through an examination, an entrance exam‚ to see if you really had what it takes and to see if you were really willing to die to self and cry out to Him. Otherwise, what's the use of even wasting anything on you—any time or any of His goods or the strength of His leaders on you at all if you just haven't got what it takes?

210. "So I found that God usually gives me the most severe test and allows the Enemy to tempt and test me the worst just as I'm considering or about to begin a new task for Him or a new project. We have the most difficult times and the most difficult trials and the most severe testings then, because God wants to know if you're really going to go through with it, live or die, sink or swim!—Whether you really mean business, whether you're really going to trust Him or not, and whether you have really got what it takes to see it through. Usually if you pass those first severe, hard tests, the Lord stamps your passport with His stamp and says, `OK, buddy, go to it! You're free to go on into the Promised Land that I have offered you!'" (ML #1:44,45).

211. So don't give up if things are rough! Just hold on to the Lord, keep fighting‚ "shtick" and the Lord will pull you through! He never fails! Don't you fail! Don't give up too soon and don't get scared out of God's will by the entrance exams. There is lots more Word on tests and trials, which might also be helpful. Make sure you read the recent Letter in GN 644, "Personal Letters!—No.6—Trusting Brings Triumph!", ML #3004. (See also "Fighters," ML #551‚ DB1.)

Let's Flood the World with the Words of David in Paperback Books!

212. Okay, on to a different subject! We're praying about putting together and publishing some books for the general public as new outreach tools! It's a long-term project, but well worth it. We have reached a lot of people with the Endtime message and the message of Salvation through the posters, and we have some pretty good follow-up material in the Mountain Streams, Reflections and Living Waters. But in order to feed people the "meat" of the Word, we need to give them a bigger dose of the Words of David.

213. Dad has written on a multitude of subjects, as he used to say, "From Genesis to Revelation!" Taking excerpts from various Letters on particular subjects would allow us to publish some wonderful books that would make great tools for feeding the sheep. What do you think? Wouldn't that be great? The Lord spoke to us about this in an exciting prophecy. I'll share some of the prophecy with you here:

214. (Prophecy:) "For there are many that go about saying, `Read my words, follow my instructions and you will have power and you will have confidence and you will have strength.’ But these only offer the power and confidence and strength of man. The Words of David give the power and strength of God!

215. "There are those that say, `Listen to me and read my words and I will motivate you and teach you how to get ahead.' But I say that the Words of David motivate the hearts and minds of man towards Me, towards true power, towards true strength, towards true accomplishment, eternal accomplishment.

216. "There are many voices out there. There are many that claim that `I am Christ,’ but, lo, they are false‚ for they are not saviors. They do not have answers, they only have imitations. But you have the Truth! Theirs are only false glass imitations, but you have the true diamonds, the true jewels of My Truth!

217. "If they can do it, why can't you? If they can flood the market with their imitations‚ then why can't you flood the market with My Truth? If you have others who are willing to write about you‚ how much more should you be willing to pour forth My Words?

218. "For if the Devil's children can pour forth their poison into the System, so can My children pour forth My Truth. For the world hungers after the Words of David. You have many, many‚ many Words. And though the books about the man [Dad] are needed and good, the books from the man are best, for they contain the jewels of My Words and they contain the answers that so many seek.

219. "Don't David's Words answer your questions? Don't his Words give you the counsel that you need? Haven't his Words taught you to love Me? Haven't his Words taught you how to live and how to love? Haven't his Words taught you how to find My will? Haven't his Words taught you how to pray? Haven't his Words taught you how to tap in to the most powerful Source in the Universe? Haven't his Words taught you how to hear My voice? Haven't his Words taught you the road to Salvation? For there are many, many that seek these answers.

220. "So give, give I say, withhold not! For this is the day of the Words of David. I set before you great and effectual doors and I open these doors to you—fear not to walk through them. I will show you the way and I will lead you and I will guide you. Prepare the Words, that you may give the truth of David to the nations‚ for they need to hear the Message!

221. "And how will they hear the Message? Will they have to wait until one of My children comes face to face with them? And, oh, they do wait! But each book will be as one of My children. For each book will be a voice speaking My Words, a voice wooing them to come to Me, a voice answering their questions.

222. "You say, `Oh, we have so few, so few to get out the Message, we have so few people for such a great work.' But you can multiply your few, you can increase it hundred and hundred and hundred-fold, because each book will be as one of My children. You can send these children to many‚ many places, places where you will never be able to go, places where you will never have personnel to send, places that you would never even think to send people.

223. "But these can go! And it costs you nothing! They are an everlasting voice that will remain. If My paper children are there, I can still, by My Spirit, lead people to them and they can read and they can be wooed and they can be won and they can be fed. If I can win disciples, those who distribute My Words, those who love Me‚ from mere posters and a little follow-up, what do you think I can do with books of the Words of David? For it is impossible for you with your limited personnel to reach the world in the way it needs to be reached. You must multiply your efforts and you must expand the borders of your tents.

224. "If you will but put forth the Words of David, then My Spirit can move in the hearts of those that read them, and they will say, `Look! Look what I have read! Look what has changed my life! Here, you must read this. Buy this book! It changed my life, it will change yours.’ And they will be witnesses unto Me. And they will say, `I must get more. I must write in!' And they will become disciples unto Me. Maybe not disciples as you see them‚ those that join your numbers, but they will be disciples unto Me, for they will witness My Truth, and they will come to know Me.

225. "So put together a team of those who will do this and who have the vision for it and I will anoint them. It will not be your worry, but theirs. It will not be your burden, but theirs. And I will bless them and I will anoint it." (End of prophecy.)

226. Isn't that thrilling? This is a huge undertaking and we are now trying to begin. Do you have a burden to help? We need to put together a team, and at this point we don't have the personnel. Along with writers, editors and secretaries, we need someone to research the printing and distribution of paperback books. Besides using these books as actual outreach tools, we would also like to put them in bookstores and libraries all over the world. We want to flood the world with the Words of David, just like the Lord said to do. Please pray for us as we launch out into this new ministry. It's going to take some time, but we're determined, by God's grace, to get them done and out to the needy world!

Streamlining the Production of Our Family Teen Tapes!

227. As you know, we are also trying to publish as much music as we can for the Family. We pray that this will be a blessing to you, especially to you younger ones, as you have such a vacuum for new music. As I wrote to you before (see GN 647), the amount of music that is recorded depends upon the number of songs that you are receiving from the Lord. So please keep praying and tuning in to the Spirit so you can receive the Heavenly sounds from the Heavenly songwriters!

228. In order to streamline the production of these Family Teen Tapes, we have changed the approval procedures for the songs. In the past, all songs that were going to be recorded and sent out to the Family were first sent to WS and to me and my teamwork for approval. This made it possible for us to go over the words to make sure they made sense, were Scriptural and were suitable for Family consumption. On top of that‚ we often had suggestions about the music, etc. Our WS music department often suggested improvements as well.

229. This procedure has been very important in ensuring that songs for the GP were what they should be‚ as each song on our DTD tapes represents the Family to the world. However, with this new push to provide music mainly for you Family young people, the same scrutiny is not needed.

230. So to speed things up with our new teen music‚ we are asking that only the words be sent to WS and to Peter and me. We look over the words, and if we find anything that is either Scripturally wrong or that preaches a message that we don't agree with, we make suggested changes. However, if they are generally okay‚ we let them go. We do not hear the song itself at all. We don't hear the tune, we just see the words. The musicians at the studio are the ones who judge the tune. If they, in teamwork with those in their studio, both adults and young people, feel the tune is suitable, they record it. If they feel it isn't, they make the decision not to record it. If they can't come to an agreement, they send the song on tape to WS to decide.

231. With this new method of approval, we believe these new Family Teen Tapes will be able to reach you faster and more regularly, providing you are doing your part by writing inspired songs! We recommend that before sending your song, you play it for your Home so they can advise you on whether it is inspired and whether Family young people would want to play it over and over again if they received it on a Family song tape. So if you want more music, ask the Lord to help you write it! If you don't like the music that we're producing, do something about it! Get in desperate prayer and ask the Lord to give you some hit songs.—Not just any old songs, but catchy ones, with inspiring tunes, melodic melodies and a meaningful message. Okay? We're waiting!

Bored or Unchallenged?—Do Something About It!

232. That reminds me. If you are bored‚ which some of you young people have complained about being, why don't you do something about it? If you feel that your Home isn't doing enough, or that you aren't, you have the opportunity to try to change things! The Love Charter is there for you! Those of you who are voting members have a voice‚ you have a vote, you have the right to bring matters up in your Home Council and have the Home vote on them. You have the right of mobility. Use them! If you don't‚ then you don't have anything to complain about. The Charter empowers you to change things, so if they don't change, part of the blame lies with you. Please use the Charter!—Don't just follow along doing things one way if you think they could be done better another way! Participate, make suggestions, vote. Your Home will only be as active as you make it.

233. If for some reason you don't want to stay in your present situation, another possibility is to get out and raise your fare, landing funds and home support to go to Russia or another needy mission field. We have heard of many examples where the Lord has quickly supplied the funds needed for YAs to move on to the mission fields of their choice. You young people are very enterprising, and I know if you pray desperately and get out and work hard, the Lord will lead you to people who will want to help you do your best for Jesus! You have drive and inspiration, and if you're on your way to a mission field, you will have a great appeal project!—And you probably won't need to get a System job to raise these funds.

234. I'm not ruling out completely the idea that the Lord may lead some people to get System jobs to raise the funds needed to change fields. But I am convinced that the Lord doesn't want you to get stuck in the System when the need is so urgent on the mission field. If you're considering a System job, you'd better pray desperately and hear clearly from the Lord that it's His will before you enter that door. Otherwise, it may end up being a trap from which you may have a hard time getting freed. If it's the Lord's will for you to go to the mission field‚ He undoubtedly wants you to go soon; and if you are willing to pray desperately and work hard, He can supply the funds as you go out by faith asking, seeking and knocking, and being a good witness and testimony of your desire to go to the mission field.

235. One young woman on her way from the US to the East raised the $2,000 she needed in just two weeks. If you take a little extra time to not just raise your fare, but also the home support you need, it will make your stay on the mission field much easier. In fact, we would recommend that you do try to raise your home support while you are on a home field‚ where it's easier to do so. You may not feel like you need the support right now, but it could turn out to be invaluable once on the mission field, particularly if you are in a pioneering situation. Also‚ if you get married and start a family of your own on the field, any home support you have will be more appreciated than ever. As Dad has said, it's a worthwhile investment of time.

236. Remember‚ folks, when you are tempted to complain about how long changes are taking in the Family‚ or about your own personal situation, or about folks who aren't behaving the way they should be, please pray instead of complaining! Pray instead of gossiping! Pray instead of criticizing!

Investing in a Brand New Crop of Children!

237. A lot of you older folks are finding yourselves without the teen and YA childcare help that you had before. This is a sacrifice and a hardship, I know. But it's the price that has to be paid if we are going to let our young people burn free and decide for themselves what kind of ministry the Lord wants for them. Many of them are trying new things now, just like we wanted to do when we were young, by moving away from our parents in order to make our own decisions. We wanted to get out and try our wings. You have trained your little birdies and many of them are leaving the nest!

238. But now you have another bunch to care for—your younger ones. For many of you it's like starting all over! You're taking your little ones out witnessing, you're pouring into them, you're praying with them‚ you're teaching and training them just like you did your teens and YAs when they were little. It's hard work, but we've heard that so many of you are thankful to have this wonderful opportunity to be close to your children. Some of you have testified that it is renewing you in spirit, that it's gotten you back to the basics, and you are more inspired than ever before! You have said that the Lord is strengthening you in your calling as parents and teachers. God bless you! You are investing in these precious young ones just as you did in your older ones. It's an investment in the Lord's work, and He will greatly bless and honor you for eternity for doing such a wonderful job raising your dear children in the admonition of the Lord.

239. Nevertheless, some of you have reported that you feel like "has-beens"! You see your YAs and teens going off to the mission field‚ doing exciting things, and you feel like you're all washed up. That's a ridiculous lie of the Enemy! You have one of the most important missionary ministries in the Family, caring for, teaching and training a whole new crop of our young people, your children! What could be more important than taking care of the fruit the Lord has already given us? I'm really proud of you dear parents who are giving your all for your children!

240. And I'm proud of you young people who have chosen to "stay by the stuff," who have the vision of the importance of caring for and training your younger brothers and sisters, and who have responded to the burden the Lord put in your heart. As you pour out, God will pour in. You are training the princes and princesses of the future‚ and the Lord will cause you to bear much fruit. You don't need to worry that you're missing out on the action or that you're going to get left behind, because you'll find plenty of excitement and fulfillment as you continue in that wonderful ministry. Thank you for your faithfulness and your labors of love. It's worth it. Don't get weary in well-doing!

241. Some of you younger parents are also having an opportunity to participate more in the care of your children. You are seeing that "God's Gift Is God's Work." It's encouraging to me that you are going to the excellent childcare pubs that are available to learn how to better care for and teach the precious ones the Lord has given to you. I think you're wonderful and I'm so proud of you!

Another Challenge and Ripe Mission Field for Teens and YAs!—Our Children!

242. As I mentioned above, the Charter gives you young people the freedom to pioneer, to go to the mission field of your choice, and burn free witnessing and getting out the Word. I'm so happy that you have that opportunity, and you'll be glad to know that there are many young people who are now preparing to go to or arriving in many of our neediest mission fields. Praise the Lord! I'm sorry to hear‚ however, that some of you young people who don't feel called to a new mission field are not very challenged or happy in your present situations. But please, look around you! There are lots of exciting new challenges available to you!

243. Please pray about your responsibility to your present Home and ask the Lord to open your eyes to the opportunities of service right where you are! As a member of a Family Home, you are responsible to share the load in that Home and be a blessing by participating and doing your best to help your Home flourish and progress. Your Home needs you, the sheep need you, your shepherds need you, your parents need you‚ and your younger brothers and sisters need you! There's so much to do in all our Homes! As Jesus said, "Lift up your eyes and look on the fields‚ for they are white already to harvest!" (Jn.4:35). In this case, I'm not referring to the far-flung mission fields‚ but the ripe mission field right in your own Home! Someone who recently visited a number of Homes in one of our home fields commented:

244. "There seems to be a general lack of focus of young people in many Homes. They find it hard to get behind things in the Home or put their whole heart into ministries, witnessing, etc. The teamworkers of these Homes are sweet and conscientious and good, hard-working folks, but they are quite wrapped up with trying to keep things going, manage the Home and finances, get the witnessing teams out‚ organize schedules and so forth. So there just isn't much time for shepherding.

245. "Seeing the overall lack of shepherding in the different Homes that I have passed through makes me wonder if the Lord may want to challenge our YAs and teens who feel called to be shepherds to stand up and take on the anointing and be the leaders and bellwethers that are so needed right now with the children and young people. It seems to me the Lord would want them to take initiative, raise up the standard of the Word, and go on the attack with guidance and counseling, and be a good Christian and Family sample in the Homes—emphasizing the Word and love, studying and following the direction of the new GNs‚ and going out witnessing and pouring into the lost. More than ever, I feel there is a great call for shepherds to stand in the gap during this very important time of transition for the Family, when our young people need help and strength.

246. "In many areas there are good, trained, talented and on-fire YAs who have really got what it takes and could be used right now to help care for their younger brothers and sisters. This is my prayer now—that the Lord will raise up leaders and shepherds from amongst our teens and YAs to guide and care for the flock."

247. I heartily agree! What do you say, teens and YAs? Does the Lord want to use you to help teach, train and shepherd the young people? Does the Lord want you to take up the torch to help shepherd your younger brothers and sisters? If you're not working on moving to a mission field, maybe the Lord wants you to sink your time and talents into the mission field that's right there before you—the children and young people in your Home and area. Please pray about it!

248. You may not feel very gifted when it comes to shepherding young people, but don't let the Enemy scare you off before you even get started! Someone in WS recently commented:

249. "Something that I think holds people back from shepherding the JETTs and teens is fear. It often seems the flamboyant, outgoing go–getters are the teen shepherds, and if you're a simple little person like myself, you can tend to think, `I can't do that, I don't have the gifts.' But it's not true, that's a lie of the Enemy. Because the most important thing that's needed is love. Recently I was thinking subconsciously that I wasn't cut out to work with or shepherd young people‚ but then I stopped to remember my time of shepherding teens in an office situation in the past, and I realized that it went well for me there. I wasn't a super outgoing razzmatazz type person, I was just simple little me. But I really loved those teen girls I worked with and they knew that, and as a result, we worked well together.

250. "I suspect others may have that defeatist attitude as well, thinking they aren't good enough, and that because they're not wonderfully trained flamboyant teen shepherds, they don't have the insight needed for the teens. But I'd like to encourage people to not give up because of the fear the Enemy plays upon that they aren't good enough."

251. A YA who recently visited some Homes‚ even though in a different part of the world, had similar comments about the great need for shepherds. She said:

252. "In the Homes I visited, the teens were lacking someone to tune in to them and to give them the attention they need. I know teens need to learn to make their own decisions, and they need to get a connection with the Lord and hear from Him and get their directions from Him for their own personal situations, and perhaps the way we shepherded them before was hindering them from being able to do this. But, I feel in some ways they just have been dropped, and they're now being asked to stand on their own too fast with too little training or counsel.

253. "Teens still need shepherding and guidance and someone to be there for them. When I was young, knowing that someone had the faith for me, even when I did the wrong thing or made mistakes, kept me going. When I felt that no one else loved me, the fact that my shepherd was there to pull me through is what helped me stay in the Family. But many teens seem hurt by the fact that their shepherds have 'dumped' them. A few that I talked to mentioned bitternesses against some of their former teen shepherds whom they feel have deserted them in order to follow their own visions and goals.

254. "I feel the need to ask very honestly, `Where are the Shepherds?' We spoke with some teens who had left the Family and they said they left because they felt so condemned for their doubts and their failings, and they felt they were no use in the Family anyway, and there was no one around to hang onto them and have faith in them, so they just left. Some had broken the rules and done things that they felt were very wrong, and yet because there was no one that they were close enough to, or that they felt they could turn to for help or counsel‚ they felt like there was no way out but to leave the Family. And all it took was for someone to go and see them and let them know that there is hope‚ and they can make it if they try, and we do have faith in them, for them to make the decision to come back to the Family.

255. "In our recent teen shepherd meeting someone had a vision of a banner needing to be lifted up for the teens‚ and that they are missing that `banner.' I personally feel that the banner needed is in the form of people who are either shepherds or role models that have the vision themselves and who can hold up the standard and inspire that vision in others. It's going to take everyone pulling up their boots and realizing that the ones of us that the Lord has called to be shepherds cannot abdicate our calling in order to pursue our careers‚ or what we think is easier or more fun.

256. "I think we need a call to arms, at least in this area, for shepherds to lay down their lives for our precious teens. I wonder how many of the teens have prayed for someone to understand them, for somebody to shepherd them? How many of us YAs (or adults) has the Lord given the burden to shepherd the teens, and yet we brushed it off because of our desire to do more `glorious' or `independent' things? How many of us are the reason why these teens' prayers have not been answered?

257. "Without shepherding, any of us would be subject to all kinds of heavy battles. If we're on our own and already fighting heavy battles, and if there is no one to turn to or to just pour all these things out to and get counsel and encouragement from, then the Enemy can get a hold on us and can really drag us down."

258. We need each other, and this is especially true when we are going through a difficult time or fighting big battles. Often shepherds get frustrated with one of their flock for the battles they are having or the problems they are causing, but they don't realize that the root of these problems may be the heavy battles the person is experiencing that they feel they can't share with anyone. Please, take time to see what's going on with the people around you. If someone is down and discouraged and battling, try to find out what's wrong and how it can be remedied. Do all you can to bear one another's burdens!

259. A teen shepherd in yet another part of the world also recently commented on the great need for shepherding and parenting of our young people. He said:

260. "On the subject of shepherds abdicating their responsibilities‚ could it be that in the case of some of these rebellious teens, the parents and shepherds had abdicated their responsibilities long before the Charter by not having built up loving and respectful relationships with the teens while they were young? I've seen many cases of this as a JETT shepherd, where a JETT landed in my class having had very little loving guidance and shepherding, and not having had a loving and respectful relationship with his parents or other teachers and shepherds in his younger years.

261. "One quote from James Dobson comes to mind on this, as follows: `Unless [your] sons and daughters have an inner tug towards cooperation and responsibility, the situation can get bloody [bad] very quickly. But where does that voice of restraint originate? It has been my contention that the early years of childhood are vital to the establishment of respect between generations.' (See "Raise 'em Right," page 263.)

262. "I have seen a lot of JETTs and teens who were not doing well, do much better when given lots of friendship, attention, coaching, fun‚ excitement, care and heartfelt prayer! I think this is lacking in many of our Homes. It's very sacrificial to spend many hours a day with the JETTs or teens, but the rewards are wonderful. I think we need more shepherds who are willing to jump in with the kids and be coaches and friends to them. If the teens are challenged and inspired, I feel we'll have less of these problem situations cropping up. The teens will see the benefits of discipleship and be willing to pay the price for it.

263. "I feel like `Where are the shepherds?' I especially would like to see more YAs and senior teens jump into this ministry. There are real promising younger people who are bursting on the scene, ready to be used in this ministry of shepherding of the younger ones, if they'll take up the challenge."

264. Of course, the teens can have tremendous shepherding but still make the wrong choice. On the other hand, if they don't have good shepherding‚ it may be a lot more difficult for them to make the right choice. I heard someone say that the key to helping a young person is a caring adult. I believe that is really true. I think if we would take a survey, we would find that our stronger teens and YAs are all ones who have at some time or other in their lives had a loving shepherd (parent or otherwise) who took the time with them and the effort and the prayer and the counsel to help them through, really zeroing in on them and pouring into them.

265. On this subject, when praying and hearing from the Lord about our young people's needs and how to help them, the Lord had a young person speak to us about what our kids in the Family are feeling. The person giving the prophecy said she felt it was coming from one of our JETTs. The message is very convicting, and this JETT certainly makes the point much better than I could. Please listen to this special message from the Heavenly realm:

266. (Prophecy:) "I was born in this Family! It's all I know! I mean, I've been in the Word all my life and I know the Word. I may even know the Word better than you do. I know thousands of Scriptures. I could just quote Scriptures on and on!

267. "I really want to live for the Lord. I really do! I really love Jesus, but sometimes I'm confused, sometimes I'm frustrated, sometimes I have problems; and then people get down on me, and they think I'm going to have a problem tomorrow and the next day and the next day. I really love Jesus and I really want to be a missionary for Him. But I know if you will just love me, it will really help. I mean, when you take time with me, and when we get to have time together to talk, I feel like I could just be good for the rest of my life! Tomorrow maybe I won't be, but if you love me and if I really feel that you still love me, then I know that it's all going to come out really good.

268. "Sometimes I'm really bored, and I know when I get bored‚ I get into trouble. But I know I love Jesus and I really want to do something exciting for Him! ... I know that if you will just really take care of me that everything will be okay. I'd rather see a sample than hear a sermon any day. I'd rather you walk with me than just merely tell me the way to go. I know you've got a lot to do, but if you could just keep loving me and finding the time to be with me, boy, that would make all the difference! I really love Jesus and I really love you and really appreciate all the time you take with me, so don't give up on me." (End of prophecy.)

269. Isn't it something so special that the Lord lets us see through the eyes of one of our younger ones, to help us realize how important it is for them to have a caring adult who is willing to find the time to be with them, talk with them and love them!

270. Of course, the Lord's plan will not be defeated, and if you adults don't give our young people the time and the attention they need, the Lord will be that caring adult in their life, if they'll just turn to Him and cry out to Him for help and comfort and guidance. It may be a lot more difficult for them‚ and it's not going to excuse you adult or adults who may have failed to do what you could; you're still going to be responsible, but it's not impossible for kids to make it and be happy serving the Lord in the Family even if they haven't been sufficiently tuned in to by their shepherds or parents. The Lord has promised that He will be enough! He has said that when our fathers, mothers and shepherds forsake us, He will take us up.

271. Please‚ dear ones, if the Lord is speaking to your heart to take up the call to shepherd our young people‚ don't let Him down. Don't let them down. They need you!

Explanation About Using the Terms "you young people" and "you younger ones"

272. When proofreading this GN, David made a comment to me that to him seemed quite trivial‚ but it was important to me and I appreciated hearing it. He explained that he didn't particularly care for the way I use expressions like "you young people" or "you younger ones," etc. He said that to him it sounds rather distant and condescending, or like I'm talking down to the younger generation. He said that when he hears those terms he sees a picture in his mind of a real old woman, saying in a squeaky voice, "You younger ones, you'd better mind me!" He says this isn't the way I am, so he thinks it doesn't represent me very well. I know it sounds funny the way David explained it, and you'd really be laughing right now if you would have heard his old grandmother accent. Ha!

273. But all joking aside, I want to say I'm sorry if it sounds condescending to some of you. I don't intend it to be. I don't know what I can do about this, because there's a good reason why I do it. But at least I can explain why I use these terms. Sometimes I need to differentiate who I'm speaking to, because sometimes the counsel I'm giving is specifically for the adults or the Shepherds or the teens or YAs or all our young people. When I write a Letter, it is read by many age groups. So if I want to make sure I get my point across to a specific group of people, then I have to mention you by name. You'll notice that I also sometimes say "You adults" or "you teen shepherds" or "you parents," etc., so it's not that I'm only addressing you young people in this way. I hope this explanation helps.

Loved Ones Helping Us from the Other Side!

274. Recently, Dr. James McKeever, a friend of the Family from the religious world and a real man of God who preached the truth about the Endtime—whom Dad mentioned in MLs #2568 and 2745—went to be with the Lord. When we had prayer about his passing and for encouragement for his wife‚ the Lord said: "I call My warriors Home, those that know the Truth! Those that have been valiant and faithful in this life do I call Home. For as the Evil One marshals his forces, so do I marshal Mine. So do I bring those that know the Truth, that they may be empowered in the Spirit to bring My Truth to more upon the Earth. For the true battle is in the Spirit, yet it is waged in the hearts and minds of men on Earth. I need these warriors to help bolster those of you on the Earth who seek Me, who know My Truth, who stand up for My Truth and who speak My Truth."

275. Of course, the Lord's "warriors" include Dad and the others of our Family who have gone to be with Jesus. It's amazing, isn't it, that since Dad's Homegoing we have had more folks leave us to go to their Heavenly reward in a shorter time period than has ever happened previously! Besides the five teens, Joanna, Kristina, Katrina, Joy and Victoria, there have been Heidi Piper and Baby Timothy in Australia, Liz Grey, Renee and Thai Abe in Thailand, Baby David Faith in North America, Pablito, Angie, Joana and Pablo del Campo in South America‚ all of whom have been called Home.

276. Since Dad's arrival in Heaven, he's been assembling quite a team! It sounds as though we need a great deal of help from the Spirit World‚ and the Lord is now fulfilling His plan for these folks by taking them to be with Him! Praise the Lord!

277. In our early days, when we also needed some special help from the Spirit World, He took dear Abner to be with Him. If you'll read the Letters about that, it will give you a better understanding of how and why the Lord would take some of us to help from Heaven. In fact, if you read those Letters‚ "Stand in the Gap," "A Heavenly Visitor" and "He Stands in the Gap," it might also help you if you are having problems believing that we can hear from those who have passed on into the Spirit. (See ML #70, 72, 73A.) Here's a quote from "A Heavenly Visitor":

278. "Suddenly Abner appeared (this was a day after his Homegoing) looking very much like that great silvery knight himself, peering through a hole in the wall of the spiritual realm just below the ceiling of our room!—And I was really startled! He was smiling radiantly and gave me his usual cheery greeting and salute. He began to explain reassuringly that he had voluntarily chosen to accept the Lord's invitation to go, as the Lord needed him, and he felt he could do us more good there than here, helping with our spiritual security, our first and most important wall of defense, which had been so seriously breached by our spiritual neglect and internal strife!" (ML #72:4).

279. So thank the Lord for those that He is calling Home to help from the other side of the veil. We need them! Even though we who no longer have our loved ones in the flesh miss them, we can be comforted with the knowledge that they are happier‚ and that they are being greatly used to help us fight the battles. They are not far away!—They can see us‚ watch over us and sometimes even speak to us!

280. I hope you realize that the Lord didn't take these particular ones Home because they were more important or more spiritual than you. Each one of us has a job to do for the Lord and He knows where we can do it best right now. For some, He wants them to be on the Other Side, while most of us need to remain here for now.

281. But from what I've been hearing lately‚ a number of you have mentioned that you wouldn't mind going to be with the Lord, and some have even asked the Lord to take them. I'm not surprised, because the battles here are hard and times are getting darker. Then to hear from Dad and our teens about how wonderful Heaven is could certainly, if you let it, tend to make you discontented at having to stay here in this evil world. But, as Dad has also told us, "If you're a Christian and love the Lord‚ God has appointed a time and a place for you to die, when your job is done! `God will be our guide, even unto death!' (Psa.48:14). You ought to trust God with your death like you trust Him with your life" (MOP 21:55,56).

282. You can be very sure you are needed here‚ or the Lord would have you There! Don't ever let the Devil tell you that you're no good, you're not accomplishing much and you might as well be with the Lord! You're accomplishing exactly what the Lord wants you to accomplish if you're yielded to His will. Besides, accomplishment isn't everything! There may be many other reasons why the Lord knows that the best place for you is right here. Maybe you're not ready to go on to Heaven yet because you haven't learned the lessons that you need to learn. Each of us is accomplishing His will and His plan and we're all part of His work. We're all tools in His hand and He uses us where He knows He can use us best. He will decide when it is our time to go to be with Him.

283. So no matter how wonderful Heaven is, you don't want to end up There before your time. You need to accomplish and learn what the Lord has for you here on Earth, His will for you, even though it may be difficult and a struggle, so that when you arrive He will say to you, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant ... enter into the joy of thy Lord" (Mat. 25:21). And don't be jealous of those who have gone on before. Don't compare! This life is just a moment in all eternity, so when you get to Heaven it's not going to make any difference who went first and who stayed behind! The Lord recently gave us something for those of you who have been feeling this way:

284. (Prophecy:) "For these many who struggle or are tempted to quit, who wrestle with the doubts of Satan, who fight discouragement, who wish to lay down the fight and come to Me, to these I say, stand fast, hold on, for these things are your Jordans. For each man's Jordan is different. Each test‚ each trial is different, specifically tailored to you and your needs, to the lessons that I would have you learn, to the victories that I would have you win and the things that I would have you to overcome.

285. "But keep your eyes focused on the shoreline.—Not on the movement of water, not on the strength of the current‚ but only upon the shoreline. Keep your eyes on Me. Keep your eyes on the victory, on the blessings, and be not swept away in the swift current. Go forward in faith, trusting, knowing that you enter into the land of promise‚ the land of blessings. Hold on and do not let go, like Jacob, who wrestled with the angel, and though maimed, received the blessing of God." (End of prophecy.) (See also ML# 3015:73-112 in GN 652 for more counsel and prophecies on this subject, including an inspiring message from Dad to you young people.)

Love and Appreciation for Our Brethren Who Were in Bonds!—And Those Who Helped Them!

286. The other day I received a report written by one of our women who was jailed in Argentina. Peter had asked her to write about what she went through after she got out of jail. Looking back, although it seemed very difficult to find suitable situations to accommodate so many people, if we had realized the extent of the physical and emotional trauma, I'm sure that we could have done more to help the wounds to heal more quickly, and to help your Home and shepherds to understand the special needs that you and the children had after enduring such great spiritual, emotional and physical upheaval. Although the CROs were reporting on the situation, and we were very concerned for your well-being and were working through the CROs by providing all the funds we could‚ trying to find Homes where you could land, and requesting that your needs be met, including rest and understanding during your period of adjustment, I see now that there was so much more that needed to be done!

287. I'm so very sorry that in many cases you weren't afforded greater understanding by others who hadn't gone through the same experience, and that you weren't able to go at a slower pace in getting back on your feet, both emotionally and spiritually, which you desperately needed because of the great toll that this whole thing had taken on you. I'm sorry I couldn't have been there to hold you and comfort you‚ to stroke your hair and tell you that we trusted you and needed you and were thankful for you‚ and that all you had sacrificed for Jesus was indeed worth it, because when your wounds were healed, you could be used in an even greater way than before. I'm sorry that in many cases you did not receive this kind of reassurance, which is very sad. I don't think this was deliberate‚ but just that other folks in your Homes did not understand your needs.

288. I'm sorry that we couldn't have done more for your children also, so that they could have overcome more easily the severe trauma that they had experienced, and so that their confidence could have been rebuilt and their sense of security re-established more rapidly.

289. I am so proud of all of you and so thankful for you. And I'm thankful for those of you who helped our jailed brethren.—Not only those of you who helped them while they were incarcerated, but those of you who sacrificed to help them after they were released, who loved them and understood them, who talked with them and cried with them and had patience with their special situation.

290. That goes for all of you who have been involved in all of the court cases these last few years. I'm proud of all you who worked together to defeat the Enemy in his great attacks upon us—not only in Argentina‚ but in our other court cases during these last few years. You are just wonderful and you have all done a great job!—Not only those of you who were directly involved with the court cases, like the parents, teens and children who were raided, but also those of you who helped with the cases by assisting our lawyers, court business, childcare work, etc., and all of our worldwide Family who worked and prayed for a positive outcome!

291. Speaking of court cases, please pray desperately for Pearl's case in the British Isles, as the judge will soon be making his ruling regarding Sammy. (Victory won, hallelujah! See P.S. to this Letter on pg.42.) Please also pray for the finalization of the cases in Argentina and France.

Fulfilled Prophecy—A Year of Peace!

292. The other day Peter was reading the Family History 1978-1994, which we are getting ready to publish‚ God willing, and in it two prophecies are quoted. One of them was from Summit '93, which was held at the end of 1992‚ and the next was from a top leadership meeting held at the end of 1993. In the first one, in '92, the Lord said that there was going to be more persecution the following year. And sure enough, within just a few months the French raids happened, followed a few months later by the Argentina raids. The second prophecy, received a year later at the end of '93, stated that we would be having a year of peace‚ which is what we had in 1994 and have enjoyed so far in 1995. Praise the Lord! It pays to pray and to hear from the Lord, as He knows the future and can help us to know it too!

Testimonies on Using the Gift of Prophecy!

293. I have been very happy to hear testimonies from many Homes of how they are using the gift of prophecy, both for their encouragement and their personal and Home direction. The other day Peter and I were reading the Letter "David," where it talks about how the Lord led Dad and Grandmother on a pioneer trip across the States. It's interesting to see that the Lord was leading Dad step-by-step through prophecy almost 30 years ago before the larger Family even got started—prophecies from Grandmother. So don't worry if you don't have the gift of prophecy yourself. Dad didn't either, for years, but he used the gift of others! Do you remember that fascinating story? If not‚ I'll include some key paragraphs here:

294. "God began to speak to us and tell us we were going to do something great—something unusual! Then in that last year‚ after my work of putting Gospel TV across the nation was finished, I was out of a job, nearly broke, unemployed, and wondering what to do for the Lord, nearly 50 years of age, seemingly frustrated and defeated! So we just decided to start out like we had in the beginning, with our little family, now teenagers, and started preaching the Gospel on the road again. It looked like we were starting all over again‚ like we had when the kids were little, living by faith and witnessing wherever we went!

295. "In 1964 and '65, the kids witnessed at the World's Fair‚ and in '66 Josh joined us, and we struck out by faith, on the road full time, serving the Lord! In '67, Grandmother joined the team, and through her‚ God began to teach us not to move without orders, and to hear explicitly, specifically, the very voice of God, and do exactly what He said to do, even if it seemed crazy as a loon!

296. "And it always worked when we obeyed! One whole year of 10,000 Miles of Miracles we traveled with Grandmother, the Lord even naming towns and countries we were supposed to go to, and how we should travel—just teaching us how to learn, listen and obey the voice of the Spirit—and God would do the rest!

297. "Many times in the Bible the Lord told His prophets to do crazy, even contradictory things, just to test them to see if they could believe Him! For example, He told us to go to the West Indies by the under waves instead of the upper waves! One of the kids thought that meant by submarine! But I knew the Lord meant by boat instead of by plane, even though the boat was four times as expensive (especially for 10 people!), and made some of us very seasick! But it was just a test of our faith to see if we were willing to obey—even when He frightened us that we might have a shipwreck! But He did the miracle and provided us with the hundreds of dollars it cost, and kept most of us from getting seasick at all!—Especially me and Grandmother‚ who were very seasick prone!—A real miracle of faith!

298. "The Lord prophesied also where we were to go from there: When we returned from the Isles of the Rising Sun (West Indies), we were to go to the Land of the Setting Sun (California), and there it would be told us what we were to do next!

299. "On the way there that summer, we stopped over at the ranch in Texas for a few weeks, and while there, a well-known prophetess of God got so excited about a prophecy the Lord had given her about us‚ that she drove her car all the way to Texas to tell us about it! At this time we had about hit rock bottom, we were nearly broke, and we were forsaking all—going out not knowing whither we went, on a shred of a clause of a prophecy: `Thou shalt go out to the Land of the Setting Sun‚ and there it shall be told thee what thou shalt do!' But if we had not obeyed, God would never have accomplished what He has accomplished! We had to obey every little thing exactly as He told us!" (ML #77:7-11).

300. Recently a team from Japan, Solomon (Uncle Jim) and Aaron (Dad's flesh grandson), went into China, and there met with a team from Thailand, Andy and Joy. In his report, Solomon shared the importance which prophecy played in their mission. Here's what he said:

301. "We had lots of prophecy, not only once Andy and Joy arrived, but even before. Aaron and I would pray together out loud wherever we were and the Lord would speak right as we were praying, or He would just give us these burdens. He spoke wonderfully! He gave us counsel every single day. We would wake up in the morning and have Word and prayer, and the Lord would speak. We would have a little session in the afternoon here and there while we were out doing witnessing or business and the Lord just led us. Prophecy given during the day was often fulfilled by the evening. We were given very clear instructions and I think this played a very key role in our winning of souls there.

302. "We knew we were supposed to witness, we knew that we had to do something, but we had to really be led by the Holy Spirit, and the Lord spoke very clearly, comforting our hearts‚ telling us that the fruit would be won, telling us when to be open, when not to be open, when to introduce them to God, when to introduce them to Jesus. Every step of the way was just a real complete miracle!

303. "The Lord often spoke that this was China's hour. Many times in prophecy He would show us that the door was just barely cracking open and we were all excited about the light that was streaming into the country, but that very soon that door will swing totally wide open in a very great way!"

304. A similar report came from a team that was on a road trip in Russia, as they went out "beyond the Urals." The team leader‚ Daniel Mountain‚ reported:

305. "The `new garment of prophecy' has been a key in helping us to do things in the power and inspiration of His Spirit. It was so marvelous for our whole team as we took time almost daily to hear from Him, and He spoke so wonderfully! He showed us where to go, when to depart for our next destination, what to do when we got there, what kind of hunger and reception we'd find, how to travel‚ and even in two cities which type of poster we should give out! He specifically showed us so many things and we could only greatly praise Him as we'd see all we had received indeed come to pass day by day."

306. The team from our Home, which visited almost every Home in Russia, also used prophecy regularly to get the Lord's mind on a variety of subjects. They would pray before going into a Home and the Lord would speak to them about any special needs of the Home or its personnel, which was a wonderful source of guidance. So please‚ folks, don't forget to use this gift, as the Lord is trying to teach us to become more skilled in tuning in to His voice in preparation for the future.

New Pioneer Teams!

307. Because of your prayers and their obedience, David and our Russian team had a very fruitful visitation trip which included lots of witnessing to the very needy and receptive Russian people. Each of our precious Family whom they met and lived with when they traveled was so appreciative, and we have received many beautiful responses, confirming over and over what the Lord said in prophecy He would do with this little team that we sent from our own Home. (See GN 640.) God willing, we will be publishing some of these reactions along with highlights from our team's trip in an FSM.

308. We have been thrilled about how many of you have responded to the call to Russia. Our European CROs reported that over 300 new missionaries have been given clearance. Many arrived in time to help with the summer witnessing push! God bless you all!

309. There have also been scout teams into a number of Asian countries in which we haven't had any missionaries for a long time. The Mideast is opening a bit as well, so if you feel a call from the Lord for either of these fields, please write to the ASCRO shepherds. There are also Homes in a number of African nations as well, so if you have a burden for Africa, and clearly hear a confirmation from the Lord to minister in this difficult area, please write to the EURCRO shepherds.

Being in God's Will—The Key to Happiness!

310. You may hear testimonies about Russia or China or Africa and be tempted to feel like‚ "My Home or my country isn't in the spotlight! Maybe I need to go where the action is!" I understand your feelings, but for you, being in God's will is where the action is! If everyone were in Russia, China or Africa, who would be left to minister to the rest of the world? When the Lord gives a general call for missionaries to go to a certain field, like He did recently with Russia, He wants to make the need known and He wants those who feel called to those countries to go. But not everyone is called! And if it's not His will for you to go, then you wouldn't want to end up there! There may be more action in some of the major pioneer and mission fields than where you are right now, but if it's not His will for you to be there, you wouldn't enjoy it or be as fulfilled and happy as you think you'd be. Being in God's will is where you'll find the greatest joy. So please seek the Lord desperately before making any major moves.

311. If He's called you to stay right where you are to teach children‚ or to follow up on people you've won to the Lord, or to continue reaching those where you are with His Love and Words, then you are where He wants you, and that's where you will find His blessing and where you will be fulfilled. Don't let the Devil trick you into surrendering ground to him by convincing you that you are not in the latest "hot" place.

Christmas Outreach!

312. That reminds me!—It's past time to start preparing for your Christmas outreach, as well as writing your Christmas letters to relatives and friends. Let's make this our greatest Christmas yet!

Praise Time Reactions!

313. I hope that you are all enjoying your praise times. I know the Lord will bless all of us as we regularly praise Him together. I hope that you're not looking at these "affection times" as a burden, but rather as an opportunity to draw closer to Jesus‚ to become more mindful of Him. He loves you and wants to be closer to you. He wants to be more than a Friend, He wants to be your Husband, and you His Bride. Please take time with Him, praying, praising, absorbing His Words, His Golden Seeds. He wants you, He needs you, He loves you!

314. Here are a few reactions from those in our Home about Praise Time:

315. * "Praise Times are highlights of my day! Just to stop everything and enter into His temple! It is drawing me closer to others as we are having fellowship together with Jesus. It is very refreshing and renewing! We've often had praise times during get-outs, so we stopped somewhere in the beautiful nature and praised Him."

316. * "Praise Times have helped me count my blessings more, which has helped any problems or trials fade away or stay in the background. Taking time to meditate on praise verses has helped make the Word come more alive, and also led to much more depth and meaning."

317. * "I wish I'd started Praise Time a long time ago. It makes me wonder how I've done without it all this time now that it's such a part of my life."

318. * "I really love them and am so happy we have them three times a day! It helps me a lot to keep on the right track and keep praiseful and thankful and slow down. I find I'm more in the Spirit when I faithfully do my praises, and I'm just more thankful and happy in the Lord."

VS Appointments Coming

319. The VS program as outlined in the Charter will soon be getting underway, D.V. Your CROs are presently praying about their choice of VSs and will notify you when a VS has been appointed in your particular area.

320. Please pray the Lord will raise up shepherds to fill these important positions. It is a very sacrificial and time-consuming ministry, and we are having a difficult time finding folks who feel that they are able to take on this major responsibility in light of their present Home and personal family responsibilities. It requires being away from home and loved ones and children a great deal of the time, much wearisome travel‚ constantly being faced with problems, and long hours of prayer, counseling and reporting.

321. So Family, when VSs are appointed for your area of the world‚ and you receive your first visits, please express your appreciation to these good soldiers‚ who are enduring hardness for the Lord and for you. Those chosen as VSs won't be perfect, and perhaps some of them will still be catching the full spirit of the Love Charter and learning how to implement it, just as you and your Home are. But they'll certainly be trying their best, so please pray for them and be thankful for them. We believe the direction, inspiration and encouragement that they'll bring to your Home will be a blessing and strength to you.

Thanks for All Your Love and Prayers!

322. A special thank you to all of you for the wonderful fervent prayers that you pray for me! Don't forget, the Lord said it's your prayers that keep me going, both spiritually and physically! So if you want to know what you can do for me and what will make me the happiest, it's your obedience to the Words that He gives you through me, as well as your prayers for Peter and Gary and me, and all those who help us get the Words to you! Thank you also for all your sweet letters and love notes‚ birthday greetings, notes of appreciation for the pubs and reactions to them, as well as your questions and suggestions sent in with your monthly reports, and messages from the Lord that you've gotten for me in prophecy. You and the Lord make me feel so loved! I'm sorry I can't always answer you with a personal letter, but please know that I am praying for you.

Pubs Work Changes!

323. As I said earlier‚ the Lord has been pouring out the new wine much faster than we can bottle and ship it to you! In fact, He's pouring out so much that Peter and I are spending almost all of our time working on the Letters, as the Lord told us to "empty the vats" so He could give more. In order to do this, though, I've had to pass on most of my other duties, in both administration and publications. When Dad was with us he concentrated on the GNs and I was able to approve the FSMs and most of the other pubs. Now, however, although I supervise the general content of the FSMs, HOPEs, WNDs, etc., I am no longer able to be so involved in the approval stage.

324. The writers and editors in WS work on them, and other WS personnel read and check them. Gary and Matthew give the final approval for them. When there are questions about some of the articles they will ask me about it, but it is impossible for me to read and approve each one and still be able to produce the GNs for you. Feeding you through the GNs is the major job the Lord has given me. Please pray for our writers and editors who work on the many other pubs that you receive. Having more responsibility for these pubs has caused them to be much more prayerful, as they can no longer just "ask Mama" if they don't know what to do; they now need to counsel together and ask the Lord.

Preview of Coming GNs!

325. Since we were talking about emptying the vats, I thought you might like a preview of what is ahead: Coming very shortly is the Letter on birth control mentioned in the Charter, titled "Go for the Gold!" I'm sure you're all interested in that one! I'm sorry it took so long, but this is a very important GN and it required an unusual amount of serious prayer and deliberation.

326. Close to being finished is the first GN in a series of Prophecy Questions and Answers, which offer counsel on how to judge prophecies‚ the role of prophecy, why the Lord is emphasizing it, whether you're handicapped if you don't have the gift of prophecy, etc. We believe this will be a real help to all.

327. There is also a GN about our music.—The need for it, the kind of music we need to produce for our young people, who should produce it, who should write it, what style should it be. This is an exciting one which you won't want to miss!

328. There's another GN about single parents in the works as well!

329. Here are a few other topics the Lord has spoken to us about and which we will get to you as soon as we can:

330. * Leadership and position. Is it important to obtain a leadership position? Does the Lord judge us by our position, and if not, what does He judge us by? Does your position here determine your position in Heaven?

331. * Doubts. How do I recognize doubt? Are all questions doubts? How can I tell if someone is searching for answers or is spreading doubts?

332. * The Endtime. Where are we now? What is it that the Lord is doing with us at this time? Where are things heading?

333. * Loving Jesus. How do I have a closer relationship with Jesus? What can I do if I want to express my love to Him even more than I have been? What do I say to Him when I want to tell Him of my love?

334. * Then we also have some great material on the Law of Love and yieldedness and jealousy and healing and backsliders and special encouragement to you adults!—And much, much more!

335. And don't you love those "Power and Protection" mags! We'd like to send you more of them, but our source material is rather limited and it is difficult to find the kind of stories we need for these mags. So if you run across any miracle stories, angel stories, or any material that you think would be good for publication, including anecdotes‚ poems, etc., please send them in. We'd also be very interested in receiving more reactions to the new pubs and the specifics of how they are changing your lives, or testimonies from you teens and YAs who are happy and satisfied in your ministries, or examples of obedience to the Word and how it paid off. If you have pioneered any new ministries that are fruitful, please write us about them.

336. We'd also love to hear testimonies of folks (young and old) who have been very discouraged but have not given up, and how the Lord is now showing you the light at the end of the tunnel. It would be a great encouragement if those of you who have experienced such a time of testing can share how you held on in spite of whatever tests you faced‚ and how the Lord came through for you and gave you the victory. Such testimonies of turning points in your lives, of major crossroads that you came to and then decided for the Lord, and how He blessed you for it, are very beneficial to others who may still be in the midst of the battle. Also, we'd very much like to hear from you single moms who have found husbands and daddies for your children. Also, if you have been married for a long time, and your relationship has been renewed and the familiarity broken down and love reborn, please tell us about it!

337. Thank you in advance for sending in your testimonies and lessons. This is your Family and we want to give you the kind of publications that you like and that feed, inspire and uplift you, but we need your help!—Your articles, your prayers, your tithes and your special gifts!

338. So as you can see, there is plenty in the works and plenty more where that came from!—From the throne of God! Praise the Lord! You won't want to miss any of these, they are life–changing! Please pray for all of us at WS, that we can get these out to you as soon as possible.

We're in Good Shape and I'm Proud of You!

339. Well, Family‚ as you can see, our part of the Kingdom of God is in good shape! In spite of some problems and minor setbacks, the Lord is blessing in every way! People generally are happier, more fulfilled, witnessing more, winning more souls, preaching more Gospel, pioneering more countries, spending more time with their children‚ exercising more faith and initiative, hearing more from the Lord, receiving more Word, praising the Lord more, loving Him more and being blessed by Him more.

340. The Lord's Love Charter hasn't solved all of our problems, maybe it's even created a few, but it sure has taken care of a lot of them! When Peter and the others were first working on it he said, "If the Charter will remedy just 60% of our Family's problems I will consider it a big success." Well, I think it's done much better than that!—And because it was the Lord's plan, I believe things will just continue to get better and better! Praise the Lord!

341. Our Charter has now been in place for six months. You've had time to use it, to become more acquainted with the way it works, and you may have found some flaws and drawbacks. If so, we need to know. If you feel there need to be changes made‚ that there are loopholes, inconsistencies, new policies that should be included, things that should be dropped, rules that aren't working, or any other improvements needing to be made, please write to your CROs about them. This is our Charter, it's for all of us, and we want to hear any suggestions you have that will make it better.

342. I am so proud of each of you‚ every one. Sure, you may not be perfect! You have made mistakes! I may have even pointed those mistakes out in this Letter, but I'm still proud of you! Why? Because you are the servants of the living God! You have given your lives to serve Jesus, you've forsaken all to live for Him, you love Him, you witness His Truth, you live His Word. So even though you have problems and weaknesses‚ Jesus is able to use you tremendously because of your love and yieldedness! And if you don't think so, read this Letter again and see all that the Lord is doing through the Family. You are part of this Family, and the part you play helps to make all of these exciting things happen!

343. It doesn't matter what your ministry is, or what field you are in, if you're on the front lines or behind the scenes, if you're a musician, a leader‚ childcare worker, a teacher, a cook, or a mommy!—You are each important to the Lord, to me and to the Family! You are the ones who have made the Charter work. The Lord gave it, but without someone to enact it, it would be just a dead document, a lifeless law. But you have made it alive by applying it, by using it in your service to the Lord‚ and He's blessing you because of it! So I am proud of you, I'm thankful for you and I am honored to be your Queen.—Actually, the Lord showed me that the more appropriate names for Peter and me would be Servant King and Servant Queen. For we are your servants, and we are serving you in love, and we both feel very privileged to be doing so. Thank you for letting us serve you.

Encouragement from Dad!

344. I don't think there is any better way to end this discussion about the State of our Nation than to share some very precious words that Dad gave recently in prophecy:

345. (Prophecy:) "Things are just working out great, aren't they? David being in Russia, that's just great! That's just wonderful! He's doing a great job and being a good sample!—And so are the others. Wow! From Up Here I can see it all. It's really great! And you guys are doing great too!—Just keep it up! Isn't it wonderful? Isn't it wonderful the things the Lord is giving you? Just keep it up! Keep getting out the Words, keep getting things from the Lord, keep praying‚ keep seeking‚ keep doing the job. You're just doing great! I'm really proud of you!

346. "Gary's doing really good too! Gary, I'm sorry about your struggles, but keep hanging in there! It's just a purge. The Lord's going to strengthen you more and more. And look how Gabe's grown! He's really coming up there‚ isn't he? God bless you, Gabe, I love you! I love all of you, I'm really proud of you! I'm proud of you all!

347. "And goodness, the WS operation sure is big, isn't it? All those people! God bless them! What a good job they're doing! They really work hard, they really deserve medals. Tell'm I love'm. I love you guys! I'm really proud of you! Mom couldn't do without you. Please keep up the good work. Believe me, your rewards Here are great! It's well worth it to stick, to do the job, because you're doing great! You're feeding the world‚ you're feeding the Family.

348. "And the CROs, look at them! Whatta job! They're doing great too! Really dedicated people. Whatta Family! Whatta wonderful Family! I knew we had great people, dedicated, sold-out people. I knew that all our little Homes were just really full of nothin' but wonderful people, but now I know it for sure. Now I see it! I see their love for the Lord, I see their love for the lost. It makes me so proud of them! So proud of them!

349. "And oh, the rewards that await them, if they only knew! Just like the kids who just came, their rewards are great. They've got a big job ahead too, but their rewards are great. Just think‚ pretty soon we'll all be together!" (End of prophecy.)

The British Isles Court Case Victory!

350. P.S.: We already informed you of the great victory that was won in the British Isles court case, where the judge ruled that Pearl could keep Sammy in her care. "The Lord hath done great things for us, whereof we are glad!" After 3-1/2 years of fierce battle‚ with each one of you involved, either on the front lines or in a supporting role through your prayers, the Lord has given us the great victory that we sought Him for. (Note: Please be sure to share this exciting victory with your children, as an answer to their diligent prayers!) This is not only a victory for Pearl and Sammy; this is a victory for the entire Family! This is a victory for God's work! The Lord said:

351. (Prophecy:) "There was a great battle this day in the Spirit that you were not able to see. Nevertheless, I have won, and I have fulfilled every promise that I have promised My children. I have fulfilled and will yet fulfill every prayer that My children have uttered towards Me, and lo, there were many, and lo, they were precise, and lo‚ they were imperative. Many were commanding Me, asking that I deliver the promises in My Word, and I have, and I do, and I will! ... I will deliver all that was not yet delivered! Therefore‚ fear not, for I have yet to fulfill many of My promises, and I will bring the victory to the very end!"

352. (Mama:) Now we can continue to say we have won every court case‚ and that the courts of the world from Australia to Argentina—and now the British Isles—have found that our Family is indeed a safe environment for our children! The Lord said:

353. (Prophecy:) "Throughout the courts of the world and in the hearts of your enemies worldwide, there is a knowledge that you are a mighty adversary!—That in coming against you, they will not encounter a weak or puny stripling of a lad‚ but a mighty fighter in the Spirit! They have seen the power of God at work, and it strikes fear in their hearts!"

354. (Prophecy:) "The very things which I have given unto you, the liberties and the love and the way of life, does it not work fearfulness and dismay in their hearts? Do they not feel insecure and affrighted by the very lifestyle which shakes their foundations, even to the core? For none other has come and done among them that which you‚ My children, have done. For I have called you to be a testimony, and you shall be witnesses against the evils and the wickedness of those who press the finger against your forehead." (End of prophecy.)

355. Here is what Dad had to say to us after this victory was won:

356. (Dad speaking:) "Hallelujah! God bless you! What a fight! What a battle! What a victory! You're victors! ... Oh, if you could see it from up Here! If you could just grasp how magnificent it is and how in control the Lord is. Nothing happens without His permission! They can't do anything to hurt His children! He's in perfect control, protecting‚ guarding and surrounding His children.

357. "You fought a good fight, and I'm so proud of you! There were so many tough choices you made when you could have taken the easy way. You could have done what seemed right in the eyes of man. You could have buckled under the fear and the doubt and the pressure of the Enemy, but you didn't. You stood strong! You were a faithful witness! You spoke out for the Truth, even for the radical Truth, even when you knew it would cost you! Even when you knew it would infuriate the judge, you still stood strong for the Truth. I'm so proud of you!—And so are all of your Heavenly helpers. The Lord Himself is proud of you and cheers you! He applauds you and toasts to your victory, to your bravery and your courage!

358. "I'm so proud to be your father! I just marvel at the power and anointing and fire of the Spirit that He's given to my children. What a reward to see you fight for the Truth!" (End of prophecy.)

359. (Mama:) The Lord and Dad had special words of commendation for Pearl: Dad said that the Lord had placed upon Pearl's head a crown and that she is one of his queens in the Lord's Kingdom. He's placed upon her chest a badge, a medal of honor, a purple heart for one who has fought bravely and courageously and gone far beyond the call of duty. He has decorated her as a war hero because of her valor, because of how she fought for the Kingdom and laid down her life and that which was most precious to her, in order to obey Him and do what He had called her to do. She's honored now in this life and will be greatly honored in the life to come!

360. Dad also specifically commended our WS representative who took the stand and was mercilessly interrogated and given a lengthy, heavy lambasting by the judge. He said:

361. (Dad speaking:) "You were terrific on the stand!—Anointed and powerful and eloquent! You spoke with real conviction! The Lord anointed you because of your yieldedness and your desperation, because you were small in your own eyes. So the Lord could make you a great hero in His Kingdom. You truly were the champion of His realm, a fighter wielding accurately and powerfully His Sword. I'm so proud of you!

362. "I knew you could do it, son! You pressed in, you really worked and it paid off! ... You did beautifully! I was there, and I saw you, and I heard every word! I was whispering in your ears and you were attentive to my instructions. You were a yielded vessel in my hand and you flashed the powerful Sword of the Lord. You were a mighty knight of the Queen's table! ... Rejoice that the Lord has fulfilled His Word in you!" (End of prophecy.)

363. (Mama:) Before our WS representative appeared in court‚ the Lord promised that He would empower him and give him His Spirit in great measure:

364. (Prophecy:) "Those that see and hear will quake and be astonished, for they will see the wisdom that only I give! It is not carnal wisdom, or earthly wisdom, but it is from Me. ... They will know that I am with you and they will quake, for they will fear exceedingly." (End of prophecy.)

365. (Mama:) Dad also had commendation for the entire court case team, of which our dear King Peter was a personal part on several occasions throughout the case, and during the last weeks of the preparations for putting our WS representative on the stand. Peter was present as the "Captain" of the team, as the Lord called him. Dad said about the court case team:

366. (Dad speaking:) "The Lord put together such a team, fitly joined together, all of you working so diligently, so faithfully, day after day, month after month, year after year laboring, sacrificing, laying down your lives. So much pressure‚ so much work, so many questions, so many doubts of the Enemy! You worked so hard, so long! But the Lord will reward you for a job well done! And the victory is won!—Because Jesus is in control! He is having His way, and all things are working together for good‚ as He knows best and as He has planned.

367. "So rejoice! Rejoice that the battle is fought and that the battle is won! The Message is preached, and you have stood strong and faithful, uncompromising and loyal! The victory is not won just on the day of judgment, but the victory is won day by day, month by month, each time you make a choice for the Truth, each time you make a choice not to compromise, each time you pray and hear from the Lord and obey Him and do the right thing!

368. "So don't you see? The victory was won over and over and over again. The victory was that you stood strong, and you spoke the Truth, and you followed and obeyed the Lord! You did what He wanted you to do. ... You placed your lives‚ your thoughts, your strategy, your defense, your very being in His hands, in total yieldedness, as a team fitly joined together. Because of this, the Lord has been able to bring the victory!

369. "You haven't just done well‚ you've done terrifically! You've done beautifully! You've gone over and above even what was expected of you, and your reward will be great! All Heaven is rejoicing at the sight of such fighters! All Heaven is commending such faith and willingness to stand up for the Truth! What a great thing it is in this day and age to be able to stand up for the Truth! You don't know how important it is to the Lord and to the Kingdom, and even to the whole world, that the Children of David were willing to stand up for the Truth.

370. "So rejoice that the battle has been fought and won!—And that you are victorious! ... I'm so proud of you! I'm so proud to call you my children! No one has ever been blessed as I have been blessed to have such a Family, to have children who love Jesus so much! Thank you‚ my precious ones, for loving Him‚ for following Him and for being willing to give His Message. Thank you for standing up for me and my Words as much as you could. You've done beautifully! Wonderfully! I'm so proud of you! It couldn't have gone better!" (End of prophecy.)

371. (Mama:) Dad wanted to be sure that we tell each of you in our wonderful worldwide Family that we're proud of you for the part you played in bringing about this victory through your prayers, through sacrificing to send witnesses, through testifying on the witness stand, writing affidavits, giving financially to help Pearl, and all your other many efforts. We applaud you for every moment that you interceded with the Lord on behalf of little Sammy‚ and thus all of our children.

Encouragement to Our Brave Soldiers Around the World!

372. Of course, the British Isles isn't the only place where you have fought a good fight and have won victories over those who have sought to damage or destroy us. We want each of you dear ones who have gone before the courts of man—not only in London, but in Spain and France and Argentina and Australia and elsewhere—to know how proud we are of you, and how our hearts overflow with praise to the Lord for such brave soldiers! You've been martyrs! The Lord says:

373. (Prophecy:) "The blood of My saints was the seed of My Church, and this is what caused My Church to grow in Spirit and in might and in power! And thus it is now. You have fought the fight, you have kept the faith, and there is laid up for you all a great crown of righteousness for having been stars in My Endtime drama, for having gone to the forefront, for having not given up the faith, for having been sent out on the ice floe and having kept your crown. Great is your reward in Heaven, for the victory is to keep the faith! ... I am proud of you who have stood up for Me and have not hidden yourselves away‚ nor cowered, but have been willing to stand upon the Truth! This is the victory, even your stand upon the Truth, even your faith. Just the fact that there are human bodies and human spirits willing to stand upon this Truth is the victory that shall overcome the world!" (End of prophecy.)

374. (Mama:) You have risked your freedom and reputations and have suffered the reproach and ridicule of man to stand up for your "crazy" prophet and the "crazy" Words of David, and great is your reward in Heaven! You've done the Lord and us and your Family a very great service, as by winning these legal victories, it's made it possible for the Family to continue getting out the Words of David. You've witnessed the Truth to the sheep and they understand. They've taken knowledge of you, that you have been with Jesus, that you are indeed Jesus' children of the End‚ and that you possess the Message of God. They have seen your love and dedication and your determination to preach the Truth to all men, no matter what the cost to you personally. Even at the risk of your own loved ones and children, you were still willing to face the onslaught of the Enemy and proclaim Jesus' Truth.

375. You've been wonderful!—And together you have been a force to be reckoned with! You've stood for the Lord 100%! You've proclaimed that His Law of Love and the Words of David are true and loving and caring!—That it is possible to live the way the Lord has asked people to live, loving and caring for one another, with compassion and empathy‚ preferring and esteeming others better than themselves!

376. You've had great faith and courage, to keep fighting when you saw no victory in sight. Nevertheless, you were obedient to the mission He had given you and you loved Him enough to continue to spread His Message abroad through all the world—the Message that He is real and His Law of Love is the law of His Kingdom!

377. So we want to praise you and encourage you and honor you for your great sacrifices! The Lord and all Heaven are thrilled and so proud of you who have so boldly proclaimed Jesus' Message to the world! You'll be thrilled and excited when you finally see the results of your not giving up! The victories are more than we can even see or understand now, but some day we will!

378. So keep fighting and standing strong for the Truth! The Lord's victories are always sure and His plans are guaranteed to succeed! The Lord's wisdom is great and His ways are often above our ways‚ and His thoughts above our thoughts, yet He makes our path simple. He asks us to simply trust and have faith and continue to follow. For over and over and over again He has led us in His plain path, exactly where He has wanted us to go. Even when things looked dark and like all would be lost, as we've continued to trust Him, He has always rewarded our faith with wonderful victory! So keep following closely, keep praying and hearing the words that He gives you.

How to Take Negative Media Coverage!

379. Even though we have won the case, the judge has said some very derogatory things about our past, which, if released to the public, will undoubtedly cause much negative publicity‚ as that is what the media knows will attract the public. It is very possible that you will be hit with what will seem like some of the worst publicity you have ever received! Although we have won the case, it is unlikely that the victory will make the news! Good news seldom makes headlines nor sells newspapers‚ so we can expect the media to once again try to smear us in the most reprehensible way. So pray for our dear media teams and be prepared‚ as the Lord seems to have indicated that at some time there will be a wave of publicity worldwide centering around the public judgment of Pearl's case. No matter how bad things look, the Lord promises that this will not harm us, but instead will be for our good.

380. (Prophecy:) "As this little ripple began afar off as a tiny problem, but mushroomed into a big wave that roared and roared and was heard worldwide and now has crashed upon the shore, so there will now be a great tidal wave that will rebound around the world! But this will be positive; this will not be to your harm. I will bring good from the repercussions of this case, for all is in My hand. I do see and understand in a better way than you do. And though you may be puzzled, though you may even be in great consternation, you can know that I love you and that every detail is part of My plan.

381. "You do not have to be ashamed. You do not have to be downcast or downhearted, but know that the battle is Mine, as I have promised. I will bring forth great fruit and good results, even as with all persecution, as My Name is proclaimed and those who fight for Me become a standard and a role model for others who would like to have the courage to stand up for Me. Even so, in this you will be a standard bearer, you will be an example, you will give courage to those of fainting hearts, and you will continue to bear My Words to the ends of the world.

382. "And know this, that I am Love‚ and I am showing My Love to you in every moment, and I will show it to you as you take care of the repercussions of this case. For I will not fail and My purposes will not be confounded, and My Word will be fulfilled!" (End of prophecy.)

383. (Mama:) Even though we may have some very negative publicity concerning the allegations made against the Family, the Lord says we do not have to be ashamed. Many of these things that will probably appear in the newspapers are gross exaggerations, if not outright lies. The things that are true, we have dealt with, and they don't have anything to do with the Family today. They are excesses of the past, excesses which we have already acknowledged many times and have apologized for.

384. No matter what the press or anyone else may say about our past, the fact is that every time we have been brought into the courts of man they have ruled that the Family today is a safe environment for children! So no matter what the press may say, we can hold our heads up high, knowing that the Truth is stronger than their lies!—And that judges, social workers, psychologists, doctors, sociologists and other academics and experts worldwide have concurred that our Homes are safe and sound places for our precious children and young people! Praise the Lord!

"Hold Forth the Words of David!"

385. The Lord will use the victory in this case as well as any publicity which may come out of it for His glory! He said:

386. (Prophecy:) "Your greatest purpose and calling in this great battle has been to be a voice for Me! For this battle is much more than a custody battle‚ a battle between mother and daughter. This case is a demonstration of My mercy to these people, that I might, through you, speak My Words‚ to give each one a chance to make a choice. I will use this case and this example to bear My Message and My warning to all the world!" (End of prophecy.)

387. (Mama:) During any media storms that may occur, you will be called upon to stand up for the Truth and openly confront the very vicious venom of the Enemy against us. The press will attack us for our past, but as I have said, we have dealt with the past. We have crossed that bridge already‚ we have answered those questions, they are behind us now. Until recently, many of us haven't quite known how to deal with some of the allegations about our past; what we should stand up for and what we should be willing to let go of. But now that the Lord has clarified this in the "Answer to Him that Asketh Us" GN (GN 653), we should be able to boldly stand up and proclaim the message He has given us. Now is the time to stand strong on the Word, nothing wavering!

388. (Prophecy:) "Do not waver, for the time has come that you must not waver. You must never wonder. You must never doubt. You must never look back, but you must look forward, holding high the Words of David, holding high the Truth of My Spirit‚ holding high the Words of Maria. For this is a new day, and the challenge is to see if you will hold high My Words, if you will march forward with My Words eternally in your hands and in your heart, and if you will humbly continue to seek My Truth and My comfort and My passion and My Love. This is a day to let Me burn within your heart. This is a day to hold forth My Words as never before!

389. "You have weathered the storms and the blows and the lies and the slander, and you have clung to Me. This is a radiant vision of faith for those who have none. This is a ray of hope for those who grapple and grasp for the last straw of their very life. For the flames, are they not being blown out across the world? Are not many turning from faith into darkness? But when you rise up before them and lift up the banner, even in the face of great trouble and difficulty, this is a great thing! And I will honor you! For your very humility I will honor you.

390. "My Words and the things that I have spoken to you and to the Family shall come to pass, and not one Word shall fail, not one shall want her mate. For you have obeyed Me. You have bent but not broken. You have not been ashamed of My Words. So be not a victim of the condemnation of the Enemy. For I say‚ `Well done‚ My good and faithful servants!'

391. "I must do that which is necessary to channel the waters of My Word to the world, to make you more useful as a Family. And the only way I can get the attention of the world is to make you a spectacle‚ to make you newsworthy. Behold the things I must do to get the attention of the world! Your only job is to lift Me up, and I will draw all men unto Me, albeit through controversy, through scandal.

392. "For look how I have cut down that one that troubled you with My swift sword! (A vicious enemy who was campaigning against us was recently shot and killed by his ex-wife!) How much more can I defend My Family! And at times when I let the Enemy continue‚ it is only to further My work, only to drive you, My Family, in the directions I would have you to go.

393. "Do not back-pedal, but hold forth My Words! Continue to hold them forth with great power and anointing. Continue to hold them high, for there are many lost and lonely ones who have not yet heard the Words of David, and you must hold them forth with great strength and hold them very high so these lost and lonely ones may look up and see the brightness of My Words! Do not allow them to be covered with the cloak of hypocrisy of this world, but hold them forth! Hold them high so My lost ones may see the Words of David. Hold not back the Words of David in this coming battle, but continue to hold them forth, for many, many, many have died without the Words of David, and many, many will die without the Words of David unless you hold them forth! This is My doing, to give you a platform to hold forth the Words of David.

394. "So I commission you to hold them forth and to hold them high, and not worry about the consequences. This is a time to rally the troops to hold forth the Words of David!"

395. (Prophecy:) "How David rejoices that he could be in court and that he could defend the Family, that he could help empower and be a spirit helper in this case, and how enraged the Enemy is that the spirit of David lives on in a much greater way than ever before! So be encouraged. Do not doubt or fear‚ for I have spoken truly to you, to My Family, and I have many more things for you to do, many other peaks far greater than this one." (End of prophecy.)

396. (Mama:) Praise the Lord! There are more and even greater challenges ahead, which means there are more victories ahead as well! The Lord never fails to care for His Own. He will keep us no matter what! So keep fighting, keep forging ahead, keep holding up the Words of David, keep living them, and above all‚ keep witnessing His Truth to the lost!

Woe to Our Enemies!

397. As for our enemies throughout the world, those who are determined to defame, dismantle or destroy us, the Lord says:

398. (Prophecy:) "Your enemies are still as vicious and as hateful and as vengeful as ever—and My vengeance against them is still strong! They must pay. For whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. Their hearts are fully set in them to do evil, so the judgment must be given. So tell My children of these things and that My wrath is still fierce against your enemies. For they stand to prevent My Truth from reaching My sheep. They stand to try to destroy the very army of God‚ but they are as nothing before Me! All that I have spoken of them is true and shall come to pass if they do not repent! So warn the wicked of his wicked way, that his blood be not upon your hands!"

399. (Prophecy:) "If you had not come and done the works which none other man did among them, they would not be guilty, they would not know of their misdeeds. ... But now they have no cloak for their back-room deals and their hypocrisy and the deepest secrets of their hearts.

400. "For lo, you have delivered My Word as a shining light, deep into the depths of their hearts. You have brought My Word before the judges and the magistrates of once so mighty a nation, and it has shined deep into the caverns of their minds and hearts. Lo, it is now lodged, and it shall judge them. For in that day, when their memories are replayed and their lives are replayed before them, My Word shall stand in the midst of their hearts and in the midst of their spirits as the Book which they themselves did read, and it shall say unto them, `Did you not know? Did you not hear? For look, these are recorded in your own memory logs within your own conscience, within your own mind.’" (End of prophecy.)

401. (Mama:) The Lord doesn't hold back on expressing His displeasure and His wrath against our enemies, specifically describing the punishments that He is going to bring upon them. He says:

402. (Prophecy:) "Woe to you who have lifted up your hands against My young ones! Woe to you who have lifted up your hands against My babes! Woe to you, for your day has now come and the time of judgment has now arrived, for you have filled your cup of iniquity! And though you plan and scheme to fill it even fuller, My arm is ready to swing! Woe to you, for your time of repentance has long passed!

403. "I will dishonor and repay them for their putrid lies and their horrible lack of humility, and I will shove them aside and they will be remembered no more! ... They will be remembered only as dust under My feet and under your feet. And as you walk upon the Earth, do you look back in remembrance of the dust that you have walked over? So shall it be with these enemies of My children. They will be dust remembered no more. This is the great pain that I will inflict upon them.

404. "Woe unto them who do bring this upon you‚ for the spirit of Lucifer and of whoredom is in the midst of them! ... Their hearts are fully set in them to do iniquity. ... My anger is kindled against these! ... Vengeance is Mine! ... I am angry at these who do torment and persecute My children! ... These children of Belial, ... these who do take My Words and twist them, these who do call light darkness! ... I will silence these lying dogs!

405. "This very web of lies that they did seek to ensnare you with will come upon them‚ and they will be entrapped and they will never be free. Their reputations and their honor before men will be tarnished. Their humiliation will be more than they can bear‚ and they will know that it is My mighty hand that has done this great thing. I shall stamp them out and erase them from history!" (End of prophecies.)

Keep Fighting and Winning!

406. The Lord has won great, great victories through all of these battles, and He will continue to do so. As Dad has told us, there is more to come!—More victory, more Message getting out, more triumph! But in order to win, the battles have to be fought. The Lord has commissioned us to be soldiers! That's why He's called us His Endtime Army. That's what we're in this Family for, to learn to be effective fighters and go through battles.

407. Textbook learning is not enough, we need the experience!—Which the Lord brings through all these circumstances that make us desperate, like these court cases, afflictions, heartaches‚ financial testings, and all the other situations that cause us to cry out desperately to the Lord! So let's keep forging ahead, continuing to fight according to the plans we receive from Jesus and Dad and our other Heavenly helpers, who are all at our side to help and guide us and whisper in our ears. Praise the Lord!

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Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family