GN 1138 FD/MM/FM

For age 16 and up. Parents and shepherds can share portions of this counsel or information with their JETTs and junior teens as the Lord leads.

By Peter FD/MM/FM 3541 4/05

Note: This GN is compiled from Peter's notices posted on the MO site, numbers 7 through 13. Numbers 1 through 6 were published in GN 1119, "The Truth About Angela's Death and Ricky's Suicide, Part 1." All notices in this GN are from Peter unless otherwise indicated.

Notice #7

Subjects: Angela's memorial and website / key promises

January 27, 2005

Dear Family,

1. Mama and I love you and are so proud of you! You are fighters! We've been reading more of the latest posts on myconclusion.com and have been thrilled at all you've written. You express your love for the Family‚ your convictions, and your faith in such an honest and heartfelt manner. It's a wonderful way for you to tell the world the truth about the Family. Anyone who wants to know what the Family is all about just needs to read what you have written to get a clear picture that the Family is very different than what is portrayed in the press and through the mouths of our detractors.

2. I'm sorry I haven't been able to send you an update for a while, as Mama and I have been traveling. We'd like to start by thanking you for your prayers for us. We feel them, we need them—in fact‚ we count on them. Your prayers keep us going, and we are extremely grateful for them.

3. Angela's memorial was held Saturday‚ January 22. Her relatives‚ friends‚ and members of the Family attended. Here is a short report written by someone who was there:

4. There is a beautiful memorial website for Angela, which you can find online at Angela-Smith.org, which includes pictures, eulogies, and testimonies. There are also numerous testimonies, stories, and comments from the many who knew and loved her in the myconclusion.com postings. I can barely keep from crying when I read the beautiful things you have said about her. While we know she is enjoying her heavenly rewards, she is still missed by the many who knew and loved her.

5. Throughout this past week there have been a number of newspaper articles around the world dealing mainly with the events of the tragedy. There have been a few TV shows, which have aired clips of Ricky's video. Some shows have been balanced in that they gave both sides to the story; others have only echoed the apostates' spin on things.

6. Over the next few days there will be further TV shows in the U.S. We anticipate that they will be negative. Once they air and we get a report from those who have seen the shows, we will give you an update.

7. We trust that you have received the two GNs on the Ricky/Angela topic—the first one being a compilation of MO site notices. Mama is busy working on two other ones, which we hope to get to you fairly soon—one is on the topic of the media, and the other is a compilation of new encouragement promises for persecution. We'll also write soon with a further update about the TV shows and about our apostates' latest tack.

8. In the meantime, please continue to fight with us through prayer.

9. • Please pray especially for the media teams who are on the front lines of this battle, who stand up for all of us and for the truth. It's a tough, exhausting job. So pray for their strength, wisdom, stamina, encouragement, and eloquence.

10. • Please also pray for Mama and me, and all of those who are working to plan and fight this battle.

11. • Pray that the authorities will see this for what it is: a concerted effort on the part of a handful of apostates to stir them to action against the Family.

12. • Pray that the publicity will not affect your witnessing efforts and outreach, which is something the Devil would love to see happen, but that it will instead enable us to witness and spread the truth like never before.

13. Please keep doing the job, dear Family. Don't let these events distract you from doing that which is most important—reaching the world with the message of salvation. That's what we're all about, and the Enemy's main goal in all of this is to stop us from doing the job. He knows we are reaching the lost, ripping many from his clutches, and he hates us for it. He knows we are getting stronger, we're preparing to move forward like never before, and therefore he's fighting us now to stop us, to try to defeat us. So fight back! Get out there and witness! Keep winning the lost! Keep preaching the message! Keep moving forward! If we witness, we win! Our Enemy's defeat is sure.

Love, Peter

14. The keys create within your spirit a deep reservoir of willpower‚ determination, and strength that will empower you to forge ahead to victory no matter how tough the fight or how long the battle.

15. Call upon the keys of revelation and foresight to reveal the devices and plans of those who seek your demise. The keys will lay a straight path before you that you may be preserved from every evil work.

16. Call on the keys of truth that will reveal My mighty hand and expose the lies of the Enemy. The keys of truth can break through any barrier. It may take time‚ but they will not fail.

17. Call on the keys of intervention‚ and I will hold back the powers of apostasy and confuse the plans of your enemies.

18. The keys of the Kingdom will help you to see people and situations with My eyes, in a spirit of faith and trust.

Notice #8

Subjects: ABC's Primetime show / myconclusion.com and your wonderful testimonies / our efforts at reconciliation with former members

February 7, 2005

Dear Family,

19. God bless you all. Mama and I love you and are praying for you. We have been especially keeping those of you in the U.S. in our prayers‚ as that's where most of the media focus has been up until now.

20. Since my last update, a major show aired in the U.S. Following is a report about the show:

21. As expected, the show was negative, but at least, as the Lord said in prophecy, "Little bits of truth and light got out, and that's important. Through those little glimmers of light, the sheep will hear My voice, and they will be interested in you and in the truth I have given you."

22. The day after the show the Family website received several confirmations of this through some e-mails which read:

23. There hasn't been anything in the U.S. print media lately. A few stories seem to be in the works, as some journalists are contacting Family members for interviews, and a British journalist will be coming out with a story shortly.

24. Mama has been working on another GN on this topic which you should have access to by now (see the MO site for GN 1121‚ "Advancing Anyway!"). We pray that it will be a help and strength to you. You should have also received the notice about changing the date of the Feast in order to allow you more time to study the GNs, the Board criteria, and Home review questionnaires. Also coming shortly is a GN about the recent tsunami full of informative and faith-building prophecies about that catastrophic event.

25. Mama and I want to again comment on the myconclusion.com site which you young people have launched. Your postings have been a wonderful testimony of your lives, your dedication, and how you feel about your faith and your Family. Making your voice heard in such a resounding way is powerful. Of course, a few of the detractors are trying to pick it apart, just like they pick everything else apart—saying that you were told what to write and that you are brainwashed. Don't worry about the vocal few. I believe there are those within the detractor camp who are beginning to realize that you young people are in the Family because you have chosen to be, because you love the Family, because you know it's a great place to serve the Lord‚ to raise your children, and to work toward making the world a better place. I think there are some who are beginning to realize that in attacking the Family, they are attacking all Family members, including you, our second generation members—they are attacking your families and your children. Hearing from you has hopefully helped them to see that you are not about to take that lying down, that you will fight back, that you are part of the Family they are fighting.

26. You have made it very clear through your testimonials that the Family isn't what the detractors who are currently fighting the Family have tried to say it is. You have painted a very different picture of life in the Family than the distorted picture they have presented to the media‚ and which they try to paint on their various websites. You have made a difference. You are standing up for your freedom of choice, your freedom of religion, your freedom to live your life in the manner you wish. Mama and I are proud of you for it. Your voice is powerful!

27. Since one of the main stated goals of these detractors has been to pull current member young people out of the Family, it would seem they have come to the conclusion after reading your posts that their tactics are doing just the opposite. As such, over the past few days they have taken another approach. They've begun holding out "olive branches," claiming that their intention was never to destroy the Family, that all they really want is to talk and discuss the issues‚ to come to terms of reconciliation.

28. As far as we are concerned, we're very much in favor of reconciling‚ of finding ways to heal both real and perceived hurts that may exist. We've made this a major push in years past‚ encouraging Family members to reconcile with relatives and former members, and many have done so. Our sincere wish for those who were once a part of the Family is that they will be successful and happy, and lead constructive, fulfilling lives. But you see, reconciliation is a two-way street; both sides must want it and must make the effort to bring it about. Up until this point, however, the "reconciliation" our most hostile detractors have been talking about is that Mama and I resign from the leadership of the Family, at best, or are thrown in jail, at worst. They are trying to get us to agree with their point of view that our lifestyle is abusive and that children born in the Family are victims of abuse. They talk of disbanding the Family. Obviously, that isn't a viable starting place for dialogue, much less reconciliation.

29. Some of the people who are now publicly stating that they are not out to bring down the Family have stated or inferred quite the opposite in previous posts on their websites. One of their spokespeople who now is publicly stating that they want to dialogue said just three weeks ago, "I need to send a message to Zerby: 'This generation of children is going to destroy you. God forbid anybody else die. But barring that, we are going to destroy your organization. We're going to destroy your group. We're going to destroy your lives.'…" He also stated, "I'm going to come back and personally destroy the Family if I have to use my teeth." Two years ago I sent a message via an intermediary to this person regarding the possibility of meeting to discuss their issues‚ and the answer I received back was a no. This would seem to suggest that these current overtures of discussion and reconciliation may just be rhetoric with a hidden agenda.

30. These folks feel very free to quote out of context anything written by the Family; they feel free to twist and distort it, to interpret it to fit their spin. Meanwhile‚ they have been making many statements on the web for the past four years, the vast majority of which have been disparaging. Their profanity, bitterness, and calls for vengeance have fanned the flames of intolerance and led to many moderate former members reinterpreting their entire time in the Family from a negative perspective. Our detractors have attacked our belief system. They have made it clear that their goal is to bring down the Family and see it dismantled. They post our GNs‚ and proceed to mock, criticize, and condemn them, which in essence means they are mocking our faith and our Family way of life. There have been attempts at various sorts of blackmail, though not posted openly on their sites. Dialogue cannot thrive in such an environment.

31. I understand that their websites are an open forum for anyone to post on, and as such every word doesn't necessarily reflect the thoughts or feelings of the administrators of those sites. However‚ some of their website board members themselves have posted writings that promote destroying the Family. To the site administrators' credit, when some earlier violent postings were pointed out to them they removed them. However, as of February 5 the postings quoted below, which incite violence and hatred, are on their site for all to read.

32. While I realize that such disturbing postings do not reflect the viewpoints of most of those who post on this site, nevertheless I consider it very irresponsible for the site administrators to allow this sort of violent rhetoric to remain on their site. For these reasons I find it hard to believe they are sincere in what they say about reconciliation.

33. Another reason we question their sincerity is that they continue to state that the leadership of the Family never apologized for or repudiated the actions of the past that led to some minors being exposed to sexually inappropriate behavior and have never accepted any responsibility for what occurred in the past. This is totally untrue.

34. We have republished the apologies made over the past ten years in one of our recent notices to make those easily available to all, both current and former Family members. [See GN 1119, page 30.] We also presented our acknowledgment of responsibility in our letter to the judge in Britain in September 1995 during a custody case. We stated, "…we accept that as the author of ideas upon which some members acted to the harm of minors in The Family, he [Father David] must bear responsibility for that harm. Maria, and all of us in World Services Leadership, also feel the burden of responsibility.... We acknowledge that it was wrong to proclaim a teaching of sexual liberty (i.e., in 1976 and 1978) without establishing clear rules to ensure that sexual contact did not take place between adults and children."

35. After reading my letter to him in response to his concerns on these issues, and after reading "An Answer to Him that Asketh Us" (see GN 653), the high court judge wrote in his judgment:

36. "I could not have asked for more... I am impressed, very impressed, by the fact that The Family have openly revealed this to all the membership without any attempt to obfuscate my findings. In 'An Answer to Him that Asketh Us!—the Whys and Wherefores behind WS's letter to the Judge'—Maria writes to the disciples and friends, 'If we had known then what we know now, we would not have published this material.’ She makes fulsome apology.… I believe that The Family has removed all ambiguity in this matter. I believe that the problems which have attracted the concern of the world outside the group have been addressed."

37. Our letter to the judge, the GN "An Answer to Him that Asketh Us," and other apologies have been in the public record for almost ten years. The judge accepted this. Our detractors have the judge's ruling‚ yet they still insist we haven't apologized or addressed these issues.

38. I'm sharing these things with you so that if you have been exposed to some of these open letters from our detractors that are now being disseminated, you can understand why at this point it's difficult to determine whether the stated motives of those seeking dialogue, and in some cases, reconciliation, are sincere. Mama and I are not against communication, we're not against making attempts at reconciliation. Our prayer is that good relations will be strengthened between former and current members, as well as reconciliation and mutual respect for the path that each one has chosen of their own free will. In order for this to happen, though, we need to know that there is sincere effort on the part of those writing these letters to respect our beliefs and choices, rather than it being just a tactical move to fulfill their previously stated goal of dismantling the Family. I hope these overtures are indeed sincere, but because of the above reasons, it is unclear at this time.

39. Any efforts at reconciliation would need to be based on mutual respect. There would need to be a sincere effort put forth on their part to respect our religious beliefs and lifestyle as well as the right of Family parents to raise their children according to their beliefs. Family members have been encouraged to respect the rights of former members to live the lifestyle of their choosing; the same respect must be accorded to Family members. The former members involved would need to recognize that their public campaigns against the Family demonize and stigmatize our children and could even place them at risk.

40. Even if Mama and I were convinced that they truly wanted to make some attempt at reconciliation, it would not be possible at this time, considering the volatile environment that was created by Ricky's actions. Just the other day death threats were sent to thefamily.org site and the myconclusion.com site. It's a highly charged time and things need to calm down. I think it would be wise for everyone to step back and take a deep breath—many of them, in fact. While we are open to the possibility of dialogue, it seems that before any productive discussion could be considered, there needs to be a few months of cooling off.

41. To this end, I'm suggesting to all of you‚ dear Family, to please avoid going to the former member websites. First, as we've said many times before, they aren't a spiritually healthy place to go. Secondly, and this is very important at this time, please do not post there. When you do, it's pretty obvious from the reactions to your posts that you cause people to get angry, which is something we want to avoid. I understand that you have very legitimate reasons for being angry, as our beliefs are being dragged through the dirt on their site, and are angry because they are seeking to destroy the Family. But now isn't the time for anger, it's a time for cooling off and healing, and forgiving. If you want to post your thoughts, you are welcome to do so on myconclusion.com, but please avoid doing so on the former member sites. Now is a time to pray for all those‚ both in our former member community and in the Family, who have been deeply disturbed or saddened by Ricky's actions.

42. Over the next few months Mama and I will be praying and counseling with other leadership, both FGA and SGA, in regards to steps that could be taken toward reconciliation. This will allow us all time for closure regarding the deaths of Ricky and Angela. It will also allow us time to pray and hear from the Lord in regards to reconciliation. As some time passes, it will become clearer if the calls for dialogue and/or reconciliation are in fact sincere and a viable option. If dialogue were to become a real possibility, it wouldn't be carried out over the web‚ but rather in a private forum, and would be conducted by agreed-upon attendees as well as agreed-upon rules that would not allow for caustic rhetoric or unreasonable demands.

43. Some of our detractors are attempting to open dialogue with SGA Family members. They do this mostly by contacting individuals via e-mail. Mama and I don't recommend that you enter into such personal dialogue with these detractors. The reason for this is that in the past they have posted on their site that they feel it's very effective to "witness" to SGAs, to talk in a reasonable manner, to show themselves friendly so that they can convince members to leave the Family. This brings into question their motives for wanting to dialogue with you. My suggestion is that you wait for future official dialogue rather than attempting it on your own.

44. During this time while we hope that things will calm down, please pray that everyone can find healing and closure from all that this tragic incident has evoked. Pray that the anger will subside. Pray for a spirit of forgiveness. I know some of you in the Family are also angry, and understandably so, but you must get past that anger with the Lord's help‚ and forgive; that's the only way you can heal.

45. Thank you, dear Family, for your prayers. Mama and I love you dearly and are praying for your outreach, your witnessing, your Word time, prayer time, and for the upcoming changes within your Homes during this year of strengthening. "Thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ" (1Cor.15:57).

Love, Peter

Notice #9

Subjects: Thanks and appreciation for our wonderful Family / despite the media battles‚ we're advancing anyway: board handbooks, new GNs, the coach training program / new Home size stats / Home shepherd training program and website / attempting a dialogue with our detractors; please cool the rhetoric and avoid the ex-member sites / prophecy about staying on the wall, despite the accusations

February 25, 2005

Dear Family,

46. God bless you! Happy Family Birthday!! Mama and I are praying for you, and we trust you had a wonderful Family Birthday celebration. We are proud of each of you as you build on the changes made in your lives during the renewal and in these first few months of the year of strengthening.

47. Thank you for your condolences and letters of sympathy regarding the deaths of Angela and Ricky, and the beautiful messages from the Lord that you have received for us and sent in. They have been comforting, and we are very encouraged that so many of you took this situation to the Lord immediately to receive His perspective and answers and comfort.

48. The first two months of this year have been a fight, but Mama and I believe it has strengthened the Family. To see the second generation rise up to fight for the Family has been such an inspiration. To read your commitments on myconclusion.com, to see you stand up for the Family, for your faith and for the truth has been tremendous. Posting your positive testimonies of what the Lord has done in your life on the web to counter the negativity that has been posted on the Internet and written in the press speaks to the world.

49. Many of you teens, YAs and SGAs live in smaller Homes on distant mission fields. You love Jesus, you love the Family, you love the Word, you love your field and the people in it, but you have very little fellowship with other Family members, as the Lord has called you to work far from other Homes. I imagine that from time to time you have wondered if you are one of the few young people left in the Family‚ and if there are others who feel the same as you do. Well‚ now you know! I'm sure that when you read what your brethren all around the world are saying about the Family it boosts your faith, inspires you, and helps you to realize that the Family is here to stay.

50. Since the last notice I wrote, there have been a few newspaper articles published—one in England‚ one in Spain, and a few in California. There have also been some local TV news clips in southern California. It looks as if there will be a magazine article coming out in the U.S. in the near future, possibly one in Australia, along with a newspaper article in England. Other than that, it seems the media has moved on to other news, that interest is waning and things are calming down‚ at least for the time being. That's not to say it couldn't heat up again, but for right now it generally seems to have quieted down.

51. I believe the main reason that things have stayed fairly calm is because of the power of your prayers. You have been fighting through prayer, claiming the keys, using intercessory prayer‚ and through this, have minimized the attacks of the Enemy. God bless you all for your fighting spirits and for your faith to fight in prayer. Jesus never fails when we do our part in prayer. But please keep praying!

52. Another reason that the events of the past seven weeks have had so little effect overall is that you didn't come off the wall. In spite of the media and the detractors, you carried on doing your jobs of witnessing, following up on your sheep, distributing tools‚ holding Bible classes, helping with tsunami relief for the physically and spiritually needy, and the many other ministries you are involved in. The attacks of the Enemy didn't stop you. You marched on strong and you gained ground. Mama and I are proud of you for that. You remind us of those in Nehemiah's day, who didn't let anything dissuade them from the job they had to do. Nehemiah wrote, "So built we the wall … for the people had a mind to work" (Neh.4:6). You have a mind to work, and you are definitely doing the job!

53. While the Devil has been trying to defeat and destroy us, the fact is, we are getting stronger! This is the year of strengthening, and having such an attack right at the beginning of the year has caused us to work with one hand while holding our swords in the other, as in Nehemiah's day. Such adversity is making us stronger.

54. This is the first such media battle we have faced since the board structure was put in place. In times past when we had to fight media battles or court cases, it brought a halt to much of the normal work within WS and even within our continental leadership. Everyone had to focus on the persecution battle at hand, and forward progress on any other front was greatly hampered. With the board structure in place, it's a completely different picture.

55. Since the deaths of Angela and Ricky brought about a media battle, the Public Relations board came to the fore, God bless them. The chairpersons of the PR board kept in close communication with each other and with the IB chairs‚ they prayed for one another, shared information, and helped each other in any way they could. They have done a great job! Please continue to pray for the PR board as well as the media spokespersons around the world. They have a tough job and they put themselves on the firing line for you. You can show your appreciation for them by praying for their strength, wisdom and anointing.

56. During this time the other boards carried on their work and have been making progress toward their established long-term goals. They have continued to work on their board handbooks. They have stayed on schedule with various projects in the works. A great deal of progress has been made.

57. Although Mama and I have been very involved with the media battle, working on GNs and notices and counseling with the PR board, we have still been able to get other things done. The GNs which were planned and in the works before January are moving along right on schedule. In the weeks ahead you will receive a number of new GNs, including the first installment of "The Art of War," designed to help us learn to be effective fighters, utilizing our spiritual weapons‚ defeating the Enemy in every battle as we win the world for Jesus! Also there are more "Shooting Straight" GNs coming your way.

58. The Coaching and Shepherding board (previously the VS board) has continued to move forward by developing the coach training program. In early February I, along with Misty and Joy, the International Chairpersons, filmed over 20 hours of video for the upcoming coach training program. These are now being edited and finalized. Please pray for the finalization and safe arrival of these packages to each region, and also for the translators in Brazil and Spanish-speaking South America who will be working hard to translate them. Getting these classes on video is a major victory. The Lord confirmed that providing this training for the coaches will go a long way in strengthening the Family overall.

59. These videos will be shown to groups of trainees in March and April‚ and from those who see the videos and go through the complete training program, coaches will be chosen in each area in the last part of June. Please pray for your RSs as they work on the details. We want to extend our thanks in advance to all those of you who will take on the responsibilities of becoming a coach trainee and eventually a coach. It will be a big job, and we appreciate your willingness to do it.

60. Mama and I also appreciate those of you who will be "staying by the stuff" and making it possible for people in your Homes to attend these coach training seminars. We know it's not easy to sacrifice personnel at the best of times, let alone at this busy time when there's so much to do. So we'll be praying that the Lord will mightily bless you for your giving and supply all of your needs abundantly.

61. In spite of the attempts of the Enemy to stop us, the Family is still moving forward. You are carrying on with your renewal commitments‚ you are putting together your winning teams. At the end of January the new Home size requirement kicked in. I promised to get the stats on this to you as soon as possible‚ so here they are.

62. As of the January 25th TRFs there are 1,238 Homes worldwide. Of those, 266 (21.5%) are FD, 255 (20.6%) are MM, and 717 (57.9%) are FM. We have 10,202 Family members; of those‚ 4,884 are FD (48%), 1,769 are MM (17%), and 3,549 are FM (35%).

63. Mama and I are very encouraged by these stats. We continue to thank the Lord for His wisdom in creating the MM category of membership, and we are proud of those of you who are in it and making it work. We're also proud of you who have chosen to strive for the FD level of membership, and of course we continue to be proud of and thankful for those of you who are FM as well. All together we make up the Family—and together we will keep doing the job! Praise the Lord!

64. As you know, one of the goals of our restructuring, and now the strengthening‚ is to make us more effective in our work for the Lord. Last year was a pretty rough one in many ways. There was news of the upcoming changes at the beginning of the year, you needed to pray about your category of service, many of you needed to find new Homes or new Home members, we all went through the renewal, and now we're heading into Home reviews. All of these things have been huge changes, but the questions are: Is all this making us more effective? Is all of this bearing good fruit?

65. I would have to categorically say yes to both of these. Going through the renewal definitely brought spiritual changes in the lives of individuals and collectively in the Homes. Each of you and each of your Homes are much more serious about your service for the Lord‚ about doing the job, about being winning teams, no matter what category of membership you hold. We're seeing more participation in the Activated program and expansion of the Family's flocks and membership through follow-up.

66. This year's Christmas witnessing stats also show an interesting change. Although our overall Christmas stats were fairly close to those of 2003, slightly higher in some categories and slightly lower in others, overall our averages per adult, for the FD and MM categories, showed large increases. This was especially apparent in souls won, with a 10% increase over last year. On top of that, during the Christmas season you won to the Lord 33% of those you witnessed to. That means one out of every three people personally witnessed to during the Christmas witnessing season got saved. Now that's effective witnessing! We are becoming more effective, we are getting stronger‚ we are on the way to becoming the army the Lord wants and expects us to be.

67. In several countries many of you have been very busy helping with, and in some cases coordinating, disaster relief for the victims of the tsunami. You have been in our daily prayers‚ and we're so thankful that you're there to be a blessing to the many dear ones in need. We can't think of better representatives to give the Lord's love and comfort to those who so desperately need it. We pray daily for your protection and strength‚ stamina, encouragement and supply. Thank you for doing all you can to be the Lord's hands and feet and eyes and messengers of His love in these desperate and needy situations. Thank you for not letting the attacks of the Enemy against the Family keep you from ministering to the needy. You're doing the job and we're proud of you!

68. So as you can see, though we have been attacked, we haven't been stopped; in fact, we've hardly missed a beat. For the most part, all that has transpired over the past seven weeks has had very little negative effect on the Family at large. Of course, I'm sure it required that you explain the situation to your friends, contacts and sheep. However, we trust that as you have been faithfully ministering to them and feeding them the Word, as they have been attending classes in your Home, as they know you personally and love you, that they too were strengthened through it all. And if some fell by the wayside, we're sorry, as that is undoubtedly a disappointment and a loss. The Lord said this time was a shaking of the tree, so if some were shaken off now, perhaps it's better, as the battles of the future will be much tougher. If they have run with the footmen, and are wearied, then how will they contend with horses? (Jeremiah 12:5)

69. Dear Family, we are moving forward. There is still much to do throughout this year and it's going to take a lot of hard work to reach the goals set out for this year of strengthening. If we're going to reach those goals we're all going to need to put our shoulder to the boulder and continue to do the job. This means every Family member, no matter what category of membership, every board member, Home shepherd, Home manager, criteria monitor, teacher, parent and witnesser, every member of WS, every RS, and Mama and I are going to have to go above and beyond the call of duty. We all need to move forward‚ to do our part to make the Family stronger so we can win the world for Jesus. There is a tremendous amount to do, and by God's grace we're going to do it!

70. Within the next few months we plan to develop a Home shepherd training program which will be available on a new Home shepherds website. We will also prepare and film Part 2 of the coach training program. A coach website is also in the works, which will give ongoing training to the coaches. The Charter team is busy incorporating the coaches' role into the Charter, as well as updating the Charter to reflect the many other changes that have occurred over the past two years. The computer team is working hard to finish the programs for the Home review. The boards are working to finish their handbooks, which will be a great help to you. Mama and the GN team are working on new GNs to help move us forward in spirit. You are busy building winning teams, reaching the lost, raising and educating your children, and so much more. This is a very busy and crucial time for all of us.

71. In order to achieve all that needs to be done to strengthen the Family, Mama and I have had to make a decision in regards to our detractors. While the media fight has for the most part died down, some detractors are still quite vocal. Some have continued to post very negative things on their sites as they continue to try to undermine your faith in Mama and me, in the Family, in our work.

72. In my last notice I said we are willing to attempt reconciliation with these folks. I am making an attempt to open a dialogue with some of them. I don't know if it will be successful or not, but we are trying. I hope we can find some mutually agreeable steps we can take with them which will help to heal any wounds they may have. It remains to be seen if that is going to be possible.

73. However, beyond making an attempt to dialogue with these folks, we've decided that we must keep our focus on the Lord's plans for the Family in the years ahead. We don't have the time to write you about everything they post on their sites. We may comment in Family pubs on some of the issues they raise and we will keep you informed of their activities, if it's something that you should know‚ but for the most part we are going to focus on efforts which will help us all to move the Family forward together.

74. Many years ago I was talking to a fellow about those who actively fight the Family and want to see it destroyed, and he gave me a piece of good advice. He said, "Don't spend time on these negative people, as they just drag you down." We intend to follow that advice and we suggest you do as well.

75. As you know‚ Mama and I have suggested a number of times that Family members not visit the former member websites. We've explained the reasons for our suggesting this, and lately we've added that right now is a time for trying to calm things down after the recent events.

76. I'm glad to see that for the most part Family members don't go to these sites. There are a few folks who have been asked to monitor the sites so we can stay informed. However, if you aren't one of those, please stay away from them.

77. The same principle applies to e-mails you may get from old friends or relatives who are sending you excerpts of posts or who are regurgitating the lurid details of things they have heard. When you get something like that, once you realize what it is, we recommend that you ask the Lord for strength to stop reading it and not delve into it. Even though an old friend may have sent it to you, you don't have to read it. If that friend served you a glass of some foul-smelling drink that you knew was going to make you sick, would you drink it just because he was your old friend?

78. As I said, Mama and I are open to discussing what can be done to try to heal the hurts of the past. We're willing to communicate with folks who are interested in communication and not just rhetoric‚ and we'd be happy to consider reasonable steps toward reconciliation‚ but beyond that, we don't have time to get into a tit-for-tat back and forth over every accusation they make. Sorry, we have other matters to take care of—namely, winning the world for Jesus.

79. Mama and I are going to focus on issues that are very important to the Family's growth. We are going to focus on the Lord's agenda, not on our detractors' agenda. We are going to focus on what's most important to the Family. We need to get our army trained and ready for the battles of the future‚ and if some of our soldiers stray from our camp by going on those websites or reading mail that is derogatory and they get wounded, we're sorry for them, but we can't spend all of our time trying to help those soldiers.

80. If you or others in your Home have questions and doubts, then we suggest that you bring the matter to the Lord in prayer. We have answered many of our detractors' accusations in the past, and you can reread those Letters. If that doesn't help‚ then ask the Lord to speak to you about the accusation, to show you what is truth and what are lies or distortions. When you're praying about things you've heard or read, you should ask yourself if there is a possibility that it is untrue. Or does it have some truth in it but it's being presented in a manner meant to make it sound scandalous or evil? Could it be exaggerated? Could it be a made-up story? Could it be that Mama and I haven't addressed some things because we feel they have been addressed in the past and apologized for, and we feel that it has been sufficiently covered? If you don't understand why some point hasn't been answered, then ask the Lord to speak to you as to some reasons why they haven't been addressed. Pray about these things. If you are battling, get prayer, ask for counsel, and if you still feel shaken, write Mama and me and we will pray for you. Claim the keys for faith and spiritual healing and strengthening. But best of all, avoid getting spiritually sick in the first place by staying away from the former member sites and reading negative e-mails.

81. If you don't read what they write, then what they write won't affect you, it won't harm you, it won't make you spiritually sick. If you read something negative and we're not addressing it or answering it in a notice or GN, it doesn't mean that there isn't a good answer, or that it's true and we're afraid to tackle the topic. It may just mean that we're too busy with more important projects. If there are matters which we feel would be beneficial for us to address, we'll do so. However, we only have so much time, and there is hardly anything that would please the Devil more than for us to take our eyes off our main responsibility of giving you the Lord's Words and direction, and making sure the Family fulfills the Lord's plan to reach the world.

82. Mama and I are moving ahead and we're determined to win the overall war, battle by battle. It takes a lot of effort on our part to stay focused, to deal with the most important issues, to keep going to the Lord so we know we're leading you in the right direction. Knowing that you are on the wall, sword in hand, knowing that you're moving forward, knowing that you're doing the job, helps us to do our job.

83. Focus on your job for the Lord. Focus on winning the world for Jesus. Focus on strengthening your sheep and getting out the meat of the Word. Focus on becoming a winning team. Focus on raising and educating your children. Focus on building a base of support. Focus on learning to use the new weapons. Focus on those things that are important to winning the war!

84. We'll continue to monitor the media and happenings with our detractors, and we will keep you informed of anything major. But in the meantime, let's get the job done. Let's do what we're here to do: Win souls for Jesus! Let's make disciples of all nations.

85. The best way we can prove the Enemy wrong is by doing the job and living for Jesus. Like the man who set out to build the Panama Canal, and was being maligned by those who said it couldn't be done or that he'd never succeed, when he was asked if he was going to answer them and set the record straight, he said, "I'll answer them with the canal." Let's answer with the canal, dear Family. If we can get the job done for Jesus, that will be the best answer we can give.

86. God bless and keep you! You're in Mama's and my daily prayers, and we are proud to be called disciples along with you.

Love in our precious Husband and Keeper of the keys,

Peter

*

87. (Jesus:) When My servant Nehemiah of old was asked to come down off the wall to get into a spitting match with his detractors (who secretly meant to kill him), he replied, "I am doing a great work and I cannot come down."

88. When the Panama Canal was under construction‚ after years of setbacks and delays, one person after another failing at the task, countless men having fallen sick and died from malaria, when supplies never made it and things were on the brink of failure, Colonel George Washington Goethals was asked if he intended to answer his critics at home who were accusing him of wasting time and money and secretly appropriating the money for himself. He answered wisely, "Yes, in time."

89. When asked how, he responded, "With the canal." And answer them he did. One of the greatest feats of modern engineering was accomplished, and now there is no question or dispute as to its worth and commercial viability.

90. The Enemy would love to draw you into a meddlesome tit-for-tat shouting match in which neither side is moved from their original position. It's time to leave the accusations in the past, and turn to the lost, to the needy‚ to the world which awaits the truth, and leave forever the delaying tactics of the Enemy in the dust.

91. The Devil wants to busy you with dealing with the past, with refuting accusations against you in the hopes that you won't see him mobilizing against you, or at the very least that you'll not mobilize against him‚ or that it will slow you down in your rescuing of the lost from his clutches. He hopes that while you are answering these same accusations again and again and again, you'll become inactive and so embroiled in his slander that you fail to do the job. You're on the wall‚ you've got a job to do, and you can answer their accusations with the "canal" of your work for Me.

92. It's time to move on. It is time to move forward and make the difference I have called you to make. It's time to get on with being the revolution that I have made you to be, and it's time to do the job.

93. The Devil wants you to get all stuck in the past, so bogged down and chained to the past that you are unable to move forward with today and the new goals and visions of today.

94. If your detractors want to have reasonable dialogue with you, then the leadership of the Family is willing to do so. If they are truly willing to reconcile, then you are ready and eager. But if they continue to malign the Family, falsely accuse you, and fight against you, you do not need to remain embroiled in their complaints. Trust Me for the accusations. Trust Me for the words of slander spoken against you.

95. It's time to turn your attention to those who need you, to those who want you, to those who want your help and what you have to offer. I'll watch your back—you just get busy doing what I've told you to do and let Me take care of the accusations against you.

96. It's time to move forward! Don't delay. Your times of greatest fruitfulness and reaping are yet ahead of you. The best is yet to come! (End of message.)

Notice #10

Subject: Website for Ricky

March 9, 2005

Dear Family,

97. God bless you. Mama and I love you, and our prayers are with you as you get ready for when your Home holds its Feast days‚ as you prepare for the workshops, as you choose individuals to lead those workshops, as you read each board's criteria, as you hold your meetings, and as you move your Home forward.

98. After the Feast you will be electing your Home shepherds, your Steering Council‚ and your criteria monitors. There's a lot going on, and this is a very important time for your Home and for the Family at large. So let's all pray for one another, shall we? During this month and the next, please pray not just for your Home, but for those Homes around you, in your region, and throughout the whole world. Thanks so much! And remember, when you study the criteria, don't be discouraged if you feel your Home isn't hitting the mark. It's going to take time to reach the goal. This is just the start, so target the areas you're weak in and grow in them; that's the plan.

99. I want to share some news with you about a new website we are putting up. A few weeks after Ricky and Angela's deaths, the WS web team put up the Angela–Smith.org website as a memorial to Angela. There are many beautiful remembrances of Angela on this site. On the myconclusion.com site as well, many of you spoke of Angela's love‚ her joyfulness‚ her sacrificial service and the dedicated life she lived, all of which have been a testimony to the wonderful person she was and the sacrificial life she led.

100. At the time of putting up Angela's site we considered the possibility of putting up a similar website for Ricky. When praying about it, the Lord told us that it wasn't the right time to do so. At the time there was a lot of media activity, and putting up a site could have easily been misinterpreted as a media stunt or a tactical move. We also wondered if it was appropriate for us to host such a site, considering the circumstances of his and Angela's deaths. Besides this, there was a lot of anger, grief and animosity in the air at the time. So we held off on putting up such a site.

101. A few weeks ago we prayed about it again and the Lord showed us we should prepare the site, but still hold off on putting it up. We began work on the site, we searched through the pictures in our files, and different people who lived in our Home over the years‚ or who lived with Ricky, wrote short remembrances of him.

102. Now the Lord has told us that we should go ahead and put up the site. He said it was important that you, our Family‚ as well as non-Family members who view the site, realize that although Mama and I abhor what Ricky did to Angela‚ he was our son and we still love him as such. We also want you to understand that when we say that we have forgiven Ricky for his action, we mean it. Those aren't just empty words. We can't take away from the facts of what happened, we can't erase them, but we can forgive.

103. Many of you may be angry at what Ricky did and the results his actions brought, but the way to overcome that anger, the way to heal, is to forgive. We are putting this site up in the hopes that it will help bring forgiveness and healing. The site address is http://www.RickyRodriguez.com

104. As you will see, the theme of the site is the memories of the young man we knew as Pete (before he left the Family and became Ricky). We want to share glimpses of the life he led through the photos and comments from those of both the first and second generations who lived with him over the years. We have chosen to limit the memories on this site to Family members who knew Pete‚ who lived with him and shared his life before he left the Family.

105. We have also included a section about suicide in the hopes of comforting anyone who may visit this site who has had a loved one commit suicide. Most people, Christian and non-Christian, believe that anyone who commits suicide is eternally damned. Such a belief brings continual grief to friends and relatives. We pray that the section on suicide will help to alleviate the grief of some.

106. Our prayer is that this site will be a blessing to any who view it, and also a witness of Heaven and both the Lord's and our forgiveness. It will hopefully give a picture of the life Pete led before he chose a different path for his life.

107. I want to mention that our launching memorial sites for Angela and Ricky doesn't mean that they mean more to us, or the Family at large, than the other precious Family members and loved ones who have gone on to their heavenly reward. While we would love to be able to create a website for each Family member who passes into Heaven, it's not something we can realistically do. In Ricky's and Angela's case, though, we felt it was important to do so because of the very public nature of their deaths, which the Lord confirmed.

108. On the Members Only website, there is a Graduates photo gallery with beautiful photos of Family members who have passed on over the years. Some of them have memorials as well, which you can read if you click on the link in the photo's caption. Please feel free to contribute your memories or eulogies for our Family loved ones who are working with us now on the other side.

109. Mama and I love you dearly. We're proud of you for how you give your lives daily to serve our precious Husband, to fight the good fight, to win the lost, to minister to the needy. You are a Family to be proud of.

Love, Peter

Notice #11

Subjects: The Feast workshops and Home reviews / memorial for Ricky organized by former members / prayer requests / new spirit helpers: the Praise Squadron / photos of Peter and Mama posted / recent news articles / we're continuing to forge ahead

March 16, 2005

Dear Family,

110. Mama and I love you. Thank you for your continued prayers for us, and the Family in general, as we all continue to move forward in this year of strengthening. You are very dear to us, and we pray daily for you. We're praying earnestly that each Home's Feast will be all that the Lord wants it to be.

111. Our prayer is that as you read the Feast material, as you hold your meetings, and as you participate in your workshops, you will become more united around the standard of the Word. As you seek the Lord about how to apply the criteria and lovingly and prayerfully figure out how to enact it, you will be able to make the Word more of a reality in your Home. This is so important‚ as it's in the day-to-day obedience to the Word and its application that winning teams will be built.

112. It's important to remember that each board's criteria is meant to assist you in practically applying the Word. In studying, talking, and praying about each of the criteria, we don't want you to lose sight of the purpose of the criteria, which is to better enable you to apply the Word in your Home. If you work toward the practical application of the Word, the Lord will bless you and your Home.

113. I want to remind you, again, that when you do the upcoming first Home review, you should look at it as a placement test, and a reality check as to how your Home measures up to the standards set in the Word. There is a good possibility that your Home will not measure up so well in some pillars, but don't be discouraged about it. The knowledge of where you stand in each pillar is meant to help you to set your goals and to target your efforts, so that at the October review you will see that you have made tangible progress.

114. Don't let the Enemy tell you that your Home is a failure or that you can't make the needed progress. See the first Home review as a challenge. Target your weak areas. Fight to progress in them. Knowing where you stand at the first Home review will help you to measure your progress as the months pass. We know you will be moving forward, you'll be progressing. You're in training to become a winning team, and we're proud of you for it. Our prayers are with you.

115. We have some news to share with you about the activities of our detractors. Some former members are holding a memorial for Ricky on March 26, in San Diego, California. The announcement on their website states that current Family members are not welcome at the memorial. We imagine that most former members are going in order to say good-bye to Ricky and to find closure to the events that have happened. It is our prayer that they can find closure, and that they can continue to move on in their lives.

116. Unfortunately‚ it seems that the organizers, or at least some of them, have a specific agenda for the memorial. They plan to use the memorial as a platform to continue their attacks on the Family, to spark more media interest, to advertise their plans to "bring down" the Family, and to garner support and backing for their campaigns against us. They are also planning to hold a press conference at the memorial. Please pray that the media interest in the memorial will be minimal or nonexistent, and that if there is any negative publicity‚ that the Lord will cause it to work together for our good.

117. It seems that some of the folks who will be attending Ricky's memorial are currently petitioning the FBI to investigate the Family, and are in the process of gathering affidavits to bolster their case. They claim to be in contact with an FBI agent to this end, and it appears that their intent is to take advantage of the memorial as an opportunity to convince those attending to participate in this initiative. Please pray that these efforts will come to naught. The person who is spearheading this action claims that current Family members are communicating with him. It is our advice that you don't. He claims that his goal is not to hurt or destroy the Family. However, in a recent post on one of the former member sites, he said his current effort is "to take apart their [the Family's] structure brick by brick until I'm done."

118. We don't know all of the details, but we want to ask you, dear Family, to pray for this memorial. Please pray that those who are seeking closure to the recent tragic events will be able to do so, especially those who were close friends or loved ones to Ricky. Pray that it will be a time where they can think about the good‚ and think about how Ricky is now in a better place. Pray that it will be an uplifting time of fellowship for our ex-members who have moved on with their lives and don't desire to do anything to hurt the Family, of which there are many. Pray that all of those attending the memorial who are friendly and favorable, or indifferent toward the Family, won't be negatively affected by any attendees who are actively anti–Family.

119. At the same time‚ please also pray that the Lord will put a stop to the plans of those individuals who are trying to do damage to the Family. Please pray that the Lord will do whatever it takes—whenever it is His perfect time and will to do so—to put a stop to the negative activities and plans of those who are actively trying to stop the Family.

120. Once certain individuals declare their intentions to do the Family harm, to destroy our work for the Lord or at the very least to hinder us and slow us down, it's our responsibility to pray against their plans and efforts. A handful of apostates seem to be doing all that they can to hurt the Family, and when they do, there's nothing wrong with praying for the Lord to stop their attempts in the way He knows is best. We can most certainly pray for the Lord to change their hearts and have His hand on their lives, and that He will hinder, stop, or otherwise thwart their plans to harm the Family. For the sake of the Family, we must pray fervently.

121. Mama and I have said this many times before, but we state again for the record that by no means do we think of all former members as apostates or as being hostile toward the Family. The majority are not. We don't consider everyone who participates on the various former member websites as an apostate or enemy or someone who is trying to hurt the Family. We don't consider everyone who expresses negative opinions about the Family or has a bone to pick with us to be enemies or apostates either.

122. However, there are those within the former member circle who definitely are enemies of the Family. The dictionary defines an enemy as "somebody who hates and seeks to harm or cause trouble for somebody else." There are those who have clearly stated they hate the Family, and who are definitely seeking to harm us or cause trouble for us. By definition these particular folks are our enemies. Those who have declared their intentions to destroy the Family are enemies. They know it, and we know it.

123. But again, not every unfriendly former member fits into this category. Mama and I don't believe that every person going to Ricky's memorial is an enemy either, even among those who don't like the Family or have negative views about us. So in asking you to pray, we're asking you to pray for those who are seeking closure, but against the actions and plans of those who are fighting against us.

124. For most of our dear former member brothers and sisters, we should pray for their happiness, their fulfillment in their lives, and their success in whatever they're now giving their lives to. At the same time we should pray strongly and desperately for the Lord to have His hand on those who have made a definite choice to fight the Family, and are actively doing so, and that He will hinder or stop their plans in the way He knows is best.

125. Dear Family, the Lord has also recently revealed to us some new spirit helpers, which are called into action by our praises. These are helpers who you can call the Praise Squadron or the Victory Squad, and they are skilled military strategists in the field of praise and its power against the forces of evil. They can help each one of you to become a more skilled and accomplished proactive strategist and fighter in the spirit through your praises. They bring great defeat to the Enemy with the power of praise.

126. This is all of the information on the Victory Squad for now‚ but if you're interested in further details, we'll be publishing more about them in an upcoming GN, Lord willing. But for now this short summary should be enough information for us to begin calling on them in our prayers, so that they can go to work to defeat the Enemy and his power.

127. So please use these new helpers in praying fervently against the machinations of those seeking to defeat the Family.

(Jesus:) Whatever effort you put into prayer, it is reflected in the answer. Desperate prayer receives a powerful answer. (ML #3340:62)

128. We ask that you put these requests concerning the memorial on your daily prayer list and that you pray for them every day until this event is over. Thank you.

129. Another recent development is that the ex-members have acquired some photos of Mama and me, which they have begun posting. Most of these photos were taken at the Summit meeting in Thailand (2001), and a few others were taken at a small birthday party around the same time. Some of the photos are of a few of the RSs who attended the Summit.

130. We have posted these photos on the Members Only site here: (http://www.familymembers.com/artphotos/thms.php?cat_id=144)‚ so now you have access to them as well. We've also included the photos of the RSs. Of course, most of you personally know your RSs, so seeing photos of them isn't really such big news.

131. Those posting the photos are those who wish the Family, Family leadership, and Mama and me harm. As such, we ask that each time you look at these pictures that you please pray for Mama's and my security, as well as the security of other Family leadership. Even though these pictures were intended to be used against us, let's turn them into catalysts for powerful positive action in prayer for our security and the security of the overall Family. Amen? Praise the Lord!

132. Over the past weeks there have been a few news articles. The Los Angeles Times finally came out with their story, which was focused mostly on Ricky. Although it had quite a negative spin‚ much of it was factual and included some good photos, including a beautiful one of Dad and Ricky, which is posted on Ricky's memorial site. It was an improvement over the first article they wrote, which had been very negative and inaccurate.

133. There was also an article in a British tabloid, which was very negative in that it personally attacked the Family's European spokesperson, Abi. (God bless you, Abi. We love you, and pray for you. You're doing a great job!)

134. There are some possible articles coming out in other areas as well‚ but so far this has been the extent of the media interest since the last update. Please keep praying that the media will lose interest‚ and that attention won't be rekindled by the upcoming memorial.

135. We trust that you have had the opportunity to see our memorial site for Ricky at www.RickyRodriguez.com. There are many beautiful pictures on the site, including many of Mama with Ricky throughout his life. Some detractors are, of course, criticizing it. But that was to be expected. We have also received some very positive reactions from friends and acquaintances who were very touched by it and by the sweet photos of Dad, Mama, and Ricky.

136. WS has continued to forge ahead with the projects that are in the works. The coach training program material was completed and sent to each region this week. The coach training seminars will be held throughout the latter part of this month, as well as next.

137. There are two new "Art of War" GNs being completed, and you should be getting these in the near future. Other upcoming GNs include more Shooting Straight GNs, "The Art of Dependence" GN (encouragement and the Lord's perspective on the huge amount there is to do at this time, and how to handle it), a GN of promises in persecution, "A Father to My Children" GN (on the Lord's protection for our children with the threat of persecution), and more!

138. The board handbooks are coming down the home stretch and should be posted at the beginning of April. These handbooks will be a great blessing in helping you to make progress in each board's criteria.

139. The computer team is working hard to finalize the Home review program. Their goal is to have it finished and fully tested in time for the first review in April.

140. The Family is continuing to move forward. Each of you are making that happen, through working to become winning teams, through fighting in prayer, through applying the Word in your lives and Home, through unity with one another, and through witnessing and winning the world to Jesus, one heart at a time. Mama and I are thankful for you and proud of you. God bless you!

With much love in our precious Husband,

Peter

Notice #12

Subjects: News about the memorial for Ricky / news articles in the works / coach training seminars

April 1, 2005

Dear Family‚

141. God bless you all! Mama and I continue to be thrilled with the progress that the Family—and that means each one of you—is making in this momentous year of strengthening. The Lord is truly causing each one of us to rise to the occasion and strengthen ourselves and our Homes in our discipleship.

142. Mama and I pray that you had a wonderful Easter, and that you and your loved ones and sheep were able to celebrate the resurrection of our dear Lover! We also pray that your Feast days were all that you and the Lord wanted them to be. Most of you have had them already, and those of you who haven't will be having them in the next few days. We are happy that you were able to hold your board criteria workshops, discuss matters openly, and set goals so you can now make steady forward progress, one step at a time.

143. We pray that the Lord leads you in your upcoming Home elections, and that you're able to make wise choices for your Home's Steering Council and board criteria monitors. That new structure will take some getting used to, but remember, Rome wasn't built in a day and neither will all the decisions and plans made by each of you and your Homes be fully executed in a day, a month‚ or even this year. But we know that with the Lord's help the decisions, plans, and commitments you made will help to make your Home a winning team. We hope it will be exciting for you to fill out the first Home review report forms this month, and we pray it's a great help in seeing where your Home needs to put more emphasis and attention.

144. As you know, getting stronger is a process, one which is worked at every day, one step at a time. So take those daily steps, work toward your Home's goals faithfully, methodically, at a steady pace. If you do, you will gradually become stronger, your Home will become stronger‚ your region will become stronger, and the Family will become stronger. And that's the goal. So keep moving forward, keep making progress, keep growing‚ and keep on doing the job we've been called to‚ that of reaching the world for Jesus. Praise the Lord!

145. I told you in my last update of the memorial for Ricky that was planned for Saturday the 26th of March in San Diego, California. Thank you for keeping that in your prayers. We have heard a little about what went on, so we want to encapsulate it here for you all.

146. The memorial was held outdoors at a resort-type hotel. In the afternoon the official memorial was held, with about 50–70 people in attendance. Different former members spoke, and some who knew Ricky reminisced about him. His former wife, Elixcia, spoke and released a white dove as a symbol of his passing. Other deceased former members were also remembered.

147. There was a significantly higher turnout, around 200 or so, for the party afterwards. Again, from what we understand, it was a nice time for those who attended, fairly subdued and with quite a bit of reminiscing about old times. Some apparently spent the night talking on a nearby beach around a bonfire.

148. A press conference was held between the memorial and the party, and a local television station showed up and filmed a short piece that was shown on the late evening news. Local Family members who saw it said it wasn't favorable to the Family, but it was shown late on a Saturday night in the middle of the local news, which we are told is not really primetime. There were apparently one or two other reporters there too. We haven't heard of anything more in the media from that event.

149. We sincerely pray that those who attended were able to find some closure to Ricky's death and his actions. Some were undoubtedly close to him and it has been a difficult time for them. Thank you for praying for them. We know the Lord will use those prayers in each of their hearts and lives.

150. And thank you very much for all the prayers you prayed for the memorial. The Lord was able to use them to cause this event to be the best for Him for those attending, and for the Family, that it could have been. Our prayers do mighty and wondrous things, and we know by faith that they did so in this case. Thank you for the sacrifice of your time and energy, and the sacrifice of your prayers and praises (Heb.13:15). We appreciate it very much!

151. There is still some media activity looming. A popular American magazine is preparing an article. We know from the tone of questions asked Marc and Claire, our media spokespersons in North America, that this again will most likely be quite a sensational piece. This magazine is a photo–intensive publication, so they plan to use, among others, some of the photos that are now up on Ricky's memorial site.

152. It looks like there will be some upcoming media in Japan too. Reporters from three different magazines and newspapers turned up at the HCS. We are not sure what the tone of the planned articles will be, but we know that at least two of these publications have been conducting interviews with less-than-favorable former members, so that doesn't bode so well for a balanced presentation. Their interviews with current Family members have been cursory—not really wanting to hear things from our side but rather asking us to answer specific allegations.

153. In Europe there was an article in an Irish paper that centered mostly around one ex-member's story, and there is an article coming out in Norway on the 12th of April. There is also an article planned to come out in a magazine in Australia.

154. So the Lord continues to keep us in the news. We and He must be getting quite a bit of good out of it or else He wouldn't keep allowing it. Of course, we don't necessarily like a lot of what they say about us; nevertheless, a witness still gets out. Please continue to keep our PR boards and our spokespeople around the world in your prayers. They have lots to do and very keenly feel the responsibility of doing their best to represent the Family and Mama and me. God bless them! They really do work hard for us all. At the same time please continue to pray that bad publicity doesn't hit areas yet to be affected.

155. On a different subject, the coach training seminars have begun, with meetings presently being held in Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Africa and North America. One of the Far East meetings and one of the South American meetings have already finished, and other regions around the world will be holding their meetings in the weeks ahead. We ask that you please keep these seminars in your prayers as they are laying the groundwork for the coach program, which by God's grace will be in place by the middle of July.

156. Mama and I are meeting with the International Board Chairpersons as well as others from WS throughout next week in order to seek the Lord for His plans for the future. While the Family is making huge steps forward and will continue to do so throughout the year of strengthening, the Lord showed us that it was time to do some preliminary praying and planning for what comes next. We ask that you pray for these meetings; that those of us attending will be good channels to receive the Lord's plan for the immediate and longer-term future. We depend on your prayers, for without them, and the Lord's answers to your prayers, we can do nothing.

157. Mama and I are so thankful for you; for your fight, your determination, your faith, your love‚ and your loyalty. We are grateful for your prayers, your support, and your dependability.

158. That is the news that made the news since my last update. I pray these short updates are a blessing to you and help to keep you apprised of what's happening. They come with lots of love from Mama and me and all those we work with in WS.

Love in our wonderful Husband and God of Love, Peter

Notice #13

Subjects: IBC meeting and goals / no evidence of an FBI investigation / advice on Home reviews / legal rights for U.S. Family members, from a brochure by the National Lawyers Guild

April 19‚ 2005

Dear Family,

159. God bless you! These are certainly days of excitement and change, aren't they? Each of you have completed your Feast days, have held your workshops, and are now in the period of the first Home review. You have elected your Home shepherds and Home managers. Home accountability has kicked in, and you are all working to build your winning teams.

160. Mama and I are so proud of you for bravely facing these challenges. You have been through a lot over the past 12 months‚ and you have risen to the occasion. You have continued to grow in spirit, and you are making steady progress.

161. Thank you so much for your prayers for the meeting Mama and I held with the International Board Chairpersons and some other folks from WS. As I explained in the last notice, the Lord showed us that we needed to meet together in order to pray about and plan for the coming years. The meetings were very fruitful. They gave us the opportunity to step back from our day-to-day work in order to seek the Lord about the big picture of the future. There was a lot of prayer, discussion, brainstorming, hearing from the Lord‚ praising‚ and calling on the keys and our spirit helpers. And thanks to the Lord's guidance and direction, which was in great part due to your prayers, we came away from this time together with clear instructions from the Lord about what to focus on during the rest of this year and the next.

162. While we came away with numerous projects to work on and a multitude of ideas, most everything fell under three main goals.

1) Consolidate the gains of the restructuring

2) Train and strengthen the Family

3) Protect the Family

163. The main point the Lord emphasized was the need to follow through on the restructuring. A great deal has changed within the Family since the beginning of last year. In fact, we're still in the midst of making those changes. Our first Home review is underway. The Steering Councils have been elected. The Home shepherds and Home managers, as well as the criteria monitors, are beginning their new roles, and everyone in the Home is playing their part. After the Home review, your Home will see what areas you need to progress in, and will begin working on them in order to improve before the October Home review. Potential coaches are being trained. All of this has been a tremendous amount of change put forth in a relatively short amount of time. We've all—FD, MM, and FM alike—been pretty busy with all of the changes we've undergone.

164. The Lord said that Family leadership must spend at least the next year making sure all of the changes implemented over the last 12 months take root and function the way they are meant to. We've never had Home reviews before, or Steering Councils‚ or criteria monitors, or coaches. All of this is new. So we, as leadership, need to do our part to ensure the new systems operate properly, that those who hold these new jobs are sufficiently trained, that your questions are answered, that anything that isn't understood is explained‚ and that any glitches or problems are fixed.

165. The Lord cautioned us to not institute any further major worldwide change until all of the present changes have been absorbed into the fabric of the Family. As such, hopefully these changes you are now implementing will be the end of the major Family–wide restructuring-type changes for a while. There might be further "tweaks" as we discover ways that the current new structure can be improved, but hopefully they will be minor.

166. All of this change had to be made in a short amount of time in order to keep the "Titanic" of the Family from sinking into the oblivion of spiritual compromise and death. We were in a state of emergency, so we had to swiftly put these measures in place to keep us afloat. These changes have not been easy on anyone, but the result has been a restructured, refitted ship that is seaworthy. We are now faced with making sure that all of the repairs are solid, that every crew member knows his or her job, that everyone has the necessary training‚ and that we are all working together to make the ship the sleek, fast-moving vessel it needs to be. This will be one of the major goals throughout this year and next.

167. Another goal which goes along with this is training and strengthening the Family. This, of course, coincides with the year of strengthening that we are presently in. Our goal is to move forward with training in all aspects of Family life.

168. One important focus has been more training for leadership, so that they can aid the Family in becoming the strong‚ tightknit, dedicated body of believers that the Lord has asked us to be. There have been several recent initiatives along these lines, many of which are nearing completion. The coach training is already underway. Nearly every region has completed its first Coach Training Seminar. Over the next few months the potential coaches will receive further training‚ so that those who are appointed will be ready to start their new job on July 1.

169. The Home Shepherd Training Program is being worked on now‚ and the beginnings sections will be posted online by the end of April. The CS IBCs (with help from the CS RBCs, the WS web team, and others in WS) have been working day in and day out to get this material ready on time. God bless them! Please keep them in your prayers, as it's a huge job and there is still a large part of the program to finalize.

170. For your interest, there will be a page on the MO site, which is where the Home shepherds will be able to access the Home Shepherd Training Program material. Some portions of the program will be made available to the Home managers as well. Also, portions of the program will be made available to the whole Family via the new CS board page on the MO site. There will be a new installment of the program posted every few weeks, each one touching on a different topic.

171. Please keep me in your prayers as well, as I am just beginning the audio recording of a number of classes for the Home Shepherd Training Program (some of which will be available for the Home managers as well). We count on your prayers‚ as they are what keep us going. Thanks for praying.

172. All of the other boards also have training programs on their agendas as well—some are international initiatives, others are regional or by national area, but all are planning and progressing and working toward providing more training for every aspect of Family life. However‚ they are first working to complete their board handbooks, which will provide you with more insight and practical how-tos toward fulfilling the board criteria. It takes time and a lot of work to create such training programs, so please keep the boards in your prayers as well.

173. The third goal the Lord gave us is to protect the Family. As we all know‚ since the beginning of this year, with Angela's murder and Ricky's suicide, a number of apostate-type former members have stepped up their campaign to destroy the Family. Their first tactic was to try and stir up a media frenzy to turn public opinion against us. They went to the print and television media with the hope that the news articles and TV shows would cause us major harm. It didn't, and for most countries media attention has been short-lived.

174. While there have been some shows and a number of articles published, the overall effect has been minimal. Of course, these apostate-type folks tout these shows and articles as great victories, but on the ground they have had very little effect.

175. In Japan there have been a few articles over the past weeks, and there may be a few more. Australia had one article‚ as did Norway. There was also a newscast in San Diego (U.S.) that briefly touched on the Family. Please pray for the Family in these areas‚ and that these articles won't negatively affect their witnessing ministries and work for the Lord.

176. As we mentioned in Notice #11 (posted March 16)‚ a former member from the San Diego area, who left the Family in 1975, has been petitioning the FBI to investigate the Family. Apparently this man, Jim LaMattery, has been pressuring people to file affidavits in support of his campaign. Here are a few excerpts of posts from some concerned former members:

177. Recently, Jim LaMattery set up a website, and on this site he makes several claims which would lead one to believe that he is representing the FBI, or working on their behalf to gather information and affidavits about the Family. It's not possible to ascertain if an investigation is indeed underway‚ as despite his claims to the contrary, the FBI does not normally reveal to the public whether or not they are investigating any given individual or group, and will simply respond by saying they cannot confirm or deny such claims.

178. We wanted to explain this to you in case you hear reports from third-party sources or your former member relatives, painting this current initiative as a full-fledged FBI investigation‚ which at this point is not necessarily the case. There is currently no credible evidence that the FBI is investigating the Family. If this changes, we will inform you. Otherwise, you can consider such rumors that an investigation is underway to be just that—rumors spread by those who wish to damage and destroy the Family. Our suggestion is that you carry on with your missionary work, and don't let their rumors cause you to fear‚ and pray for the Lord to have His way. "This is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith." "The keys of faith can give you My perspective, to help you see things as I see them, to understand why I have brought them to pass, and to know that it will work together for your good."

179. We have been informed that in the U.S., anyone can walk into an FBI office and say they have a complaint to file. The FBI is required to speak with them and listen to their complaints. The agent will take notes of the conversation, will accept and file any "evidence" or affidavits, and will thank the person for coming in. They will not tell the person if they will investigate or not. Just because someone files a complaint doesn't mean that the FBI is conducting an investigation. Family members have not been contacted and there is no sign that the filing of these affidavits has led to any sort of formal investigation.

180. We have heard that some Homes in the U.S. were wondering how to respond should the FBI come to their door. Of course, we have nothing to hide or worry about, as we are law-abiding citizens who in fact devote our lives to assisting others in the community, as governments in other nations have found when they have investigated our Homes. However, it's always helpful to know what your rights are and how to conduct yourself in the event of any official enquiries. To this end, for the benefit of you Family members who are living in the U.S., we are enclosing excerpts at the end of this notice from a public brochure compiled by the National Lawyers Guild and the ACLU. You may find the complete version of this brochure at www.nlg.org/resources/know_your_rights.htm.

181. As you will see from the information following, you are under no obligation to speak with the FBI. It is advised that if you do choose to speak with them that you have a lawyer present. However, we want to point out to you that if you tell others not to speak with the FBI, then you will be guilty of obstruction of justice. So while you personally do not have to speak with them, you cannot and should not tell others not to speak with them, as that's against the law. We suggest that those of you in the U.S. take the time to familiarize yourselves with the material at the end of this notice.

182. As far as we can tell at this point‚ going to the FBI is the latest attempt to destroy the Family by those who have publicly stated their intent to do so. Having failed in the media, they are now trying to stir up law enforcement. They tried to interest local law enforcement in San Diego, but got nowhere. Now they are trying with the FBI. Having filed a complaint with the FBI, it seems they are stretching the truth by claiming the FBI has opened an official investigation, which from what we can tell is not true.

183. Of course, stretching the truth, and even outright lying, is not beyond some of our detractors. They can say anything they wish on the Internet, accusing people falsely, lying about them and slandering them. They do this about Mama and me all the time. Their latest target is the North American Family spokesperson, Claire, not surprisingly since she has been at the forefront of the media battles in North America since the Ricky/Angela incident. They have attempted to discredit her through false allegations on their websites, none of which have any basis in fact.

184. Claire, you've been doing a great job. The fact that some apostate-type former members are attacking you with such lies only shows that you are doing a wonderful job, and they know it. Keep up the good work!—And Family, please keep Claire and all of our media spokespeople throughout the Family in your prayers.

185. As I explained earlier, one of the goals we have for the next period of time is to protect the Family. What we mean by this is that we need to make it a Family-wide goal to work toward further preparation for future persecution. The Lord has warned that persecution is coming, so we know that it is going to come sooner or later. Thus it's important that your Home is prepared for it. You prepare by being strengthened spiritually‚ by being a positive force in your local communities, by maintaining a good physical standard in your Home and outreach, by making sure your homeschooling standard is up to par and that your children are well educated, by fulfilling the board criteria, by building a solid missionary work, by having a lawyer who is up to speed on your local work and the Family in general, etc.

186. If you wait until persecution comes to take these steps, it will be too late. You need to give proper attention to these matters now; you can't wait until later. Your Home review should help you to see if your Home is up to standard in these matters. If not, we recommend that you get on it right away, so that you will be better prepared for any eventuality in the future. If you have questions about this, please direct them to your regional PR board.

187. Throughout this month and into the middle of May, all FD Homes will be filling out their first Home review. By July 1 you will receive the results of your review from your regional desk. Each regional board chairperson will compile your score for their board and will send them to the regional desk. The desk will compile all six of your scores and send them to your Home, so you will know where you stand in your performance in each board.

188. As we've said before, this first Home review is basically a placement test. The results of the review are to help you see in which board criteria you need to improve. Therefore, it's to your advantage to be as frank and candid as possible in filling out each board's questionnaire. If you are overly generous with yourselves when filling it out, then your results will not be a true picture of your Home's performance in that board's criteria. It may look to you from the final results that your Home is doing great, whereas your score in truth should have been much lower. In such a case you may not focus on improving in some board's criteria‚ only to find that come October's review you will be found wanting.

189. On the other hand, don't be so hard on yourselves that you fail everything. When you are filling out your reports‚ give an honest assessment in each of your Home's answers—as you should not just in this review, but in every subsequent review as well. Then when you get the results it will be clear which criteria, and which specific points in the criteria, you need to work on before the next Home review.

190. There will be more encouragement and counsel coming in regards to what to do after you receive your score, via a GN which should reach you soon after you complete your Home review. But for now we just wanted to mention the importance of being frank, honest, and candid in filling out the questionnaires. The point of this Home review is to see where your weak areas are as a Home, and the only way for you to truly determine that is to ask the Lord to help you to be honest and accurate as you evaluate your Home within each board pillar.

191. Mama and I are praying for you as you undergo your Home review, and as you Home managers, Home shepherds‚ and criteria monitors adjust to your new responsibilities. We're continuing to pray for all of you, dear Family, as you adjust to the changes and challenges you are presently facing. We know the Lord will anoint and help you as you look to Him and depend on His powerful keys to assist you. Remember to call on Change, one of our new spirit helpers‚ as he will help you to adapt and flow with the changes you're facing, even if they're initially difficult.

192. If you haven't done so already, it would be a good idea to lay hands on those within your Home who are accepting new positions and taking on new responsibilities, to pray for their anointing. Also, as a Home, please do all you can to cooperate with them, so that together you can build the winning team Homes the Lord is expecting of us all. May God bless and keep each of you. Mama and I love you, and are proud of you.

Love, Peter

193. P.S. Here is the information regarding the FBI that I mentioned previously, published by the National Lawyers Guild and the ACLU. We're making this available to you, our Family in the U.S., so if sometime in the future you have to speak with the authorities you know your rights and will be prepared. Please don't allow the Enemy to attack you with fears or worries about something that's not even fact. As I said earlier, we'll let you know if we find out that an FBI investigation is underway. But for now, we're simply including this information for you because it's part of preparedness, knowing your rights, and being ready to give an answer or not give an answer to any man who asks you, as the situation warrants. God bless you!

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What if police, FBI, or immigration agents contact me?

Q: Do I have to answer questions?

A: You have the constitutional right to remain silent. It is not a crime to refuse to answer questions. It is a good idea to talk to a lawyer before agreeing to answer questions. You do not have to talk to anyone, even if you have been arrested or are in jail. Only a judge can order you to answer questions. There is only one exception: In some states outside of California, it can be a crime to refuse to give your name if you have been detained. You do not have to show ID or give any other information such as your address or immigration status.

Q: Do I need a lawyer?

A: You have the right to talk to a lawyer before you decide whether to answer questions. And if you do agree to be interviewed‚ you have the right to have a lawyer present. The lawyer's job is to protect your rights. Once you tell the agent that you want to talk to a lawyer‚ they should stop trying to question and should make any further contact through your lawyer. If you do not have a lawyer‚ you can still tell the officer you want to speak to one before answering questions. Remember to get the name‚ agency and telephone number of any investigator who visits you, and give that information to your lawyer. The government does not have to provide you with a free lawyer unless you are charged with a crime, but the National Lawyers Guild (NLG) or another organization may be able to help you find a lawyer for free or a reduced rate.

Q: If I refuse to answer questions or say I want a lawyer, won't it seem like I have something to hide?

A: Anything you say to law enforcement can be used against you and others. You can never tell how a seemingly harmless bit of information might be used to hurt you or someone else. That is why the right not to talk is a fundamental right under the Constitution. Keep in mind that although they are allowed to lie to you, lying to a government agent is a crime. Remaining silent is not. The safest things to say are, "I am going to remain silent," "I want to speak to my lawyer," and "I do not consent to a search."

Q: Can agents search my home or office?

A: You do not have to let police or agents into your home or office unless they have a search warrant. A search warrant is a written court order that allows the police to conduct a specified search. Interfering with a warrantless search probably will not stop it and you might get arrested. But you should say, "I do not consent to a search," and call a criminal lawyer or the NLG. Your roommate or guest can legally consent to a search of your house if the police believe that person has the authority to give consent, and your employer can consent to a search of your workspace without your permission.

Q: What if agents have a search warrant?

A: If you are present when agents come for the search, you can ask to see the warrant. The warrant must specify in detail the places to be searched and the people or things to be taken away. Tell the agents you do not consent to the search so that they cannot go beyond what the warrant authorizes. Ask if you are allowed to watch the search; if you are allowed to, you should. Take notes, including names, badge numbers, what agency each officer is from, where they searched and what they took. If others are present, have them act as witnesses to watch carefully what is happening. If the agents ask you to give them documents, your computer, or anything else, look to see if the item is listed in the warrant. If it is not, do not consent to them taking it without talking to a lawyer. You do not have to answer questions. Talk to a lawyer first.

Q: Do I have to answer questions if I have been arrested?

A: No. If you are arrested, you do not have to answer any questions. Ask for a lawyer right away. Repeat this request to every officer who tries to talk to or question you. You should always talk to a lawyer before you decide to answer any questions.

Q: What if I speak to government agents anyway?

A: Even if you have already answered some questions, you can refuse to answer other questions until you have a lawyer.

Q: What if the police or FBI threaten me with a grand jury subpoena if I don't answer their questions?

A: A grand jury subpoena is a written order for you to go to court and testify about information you may have. It is common for the FBI to threaten you with a subpoena to get you to talk to them. If they are going to subpoena you, they will do so anyway. Receiving a subpoena to testify before a grand jury doesn't mean that you are suspected of a crime. You may have legal grounds to stop the subpoena. If you do receive a subpoena‚ call the NLG or a criminal lawyer right away. Anything you say can usually be used against you.

What if I am under 18?

Q: Do I have to answer questions?

A: No. Minors too have the right to remain silent. You cannot be arrested for refusing to talk to the police, probation officers, or school officials‚ except in some states outside of California, you may have to give your name if you have been detained.

Q: What if I am detained?

A: If you are detained at a community detention facility or Juvenile Hall‚ you normally must be released to a parent or guardian. If charges are filed against you, you have the right to have a lawyer appointed to represent you at no cost.

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This pamphlet was produced by the National Lawyers Guild, S.F. Bay Area Chapter, the ACLU of Northern California‚ and the American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC-SF), which are solely responsible for its content. Nothing herein is intended to interfere with any legitimate law enforcement investigation.

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Copyright © 2005 by The Family International.