16 December 1978DO 793

1. DURING WORLD WAR II. THEY USED TO HAVE POSTERS EVERYWHERE WITH THIS BIG EAR—"THE ENEMY IS LISTENING." Your Enemy is listening!—In other words, watch what you say. They even forbade giving the weather because that could tell the enemy whether or not it was possible to bomb an area. They also cancelled any request programs, where you request certain numbers to be played & so on‚ because it was a means of conveying messages to people. When you're in a war, you just have to use extreme measures for an extreme situation.

2. [IN PLACES WHERE IT'S DANGEROUS TO BE A CHRISTIAN] YOU'VE GOTTA WATCH YOUR LANGUAGE ON THE TELEPHONE & IN PUBLIC. … I told you that before. …

3. THEY IDENTIFY YOUR NATIONALITY, THEN THEY IDENTIFY SOMETHING ELSE, then they identify something else & they put together all these pieces of the puzzle & make a picture.—And maybe they'll get the picture of who you really are, so you'd better not!—That is, if you want to keep your freedom & maybe even your life! We've got to try to look & act & sound as much like a normal household as we can.

4. BELOVED, TIMES HAVE REALLY NOT CHANGED. They try to claim this is a modern day, we're civilised today‚ but man is no more civilized today than he was during the tyrannies of the Dark Ages, or the persecutions of Rome or the Inquisition, or the days when people had to keep the blinds drawn & keep quiet when they had meetings & read the Bible in secret.—Like the Early Christians were persecuted or the later Christians were persecuted, or the Protestants were persecuted. Things have not changed!

5. [IN SOME PLACES] WE HAVE TO HAVE OUR MEETINGS IN SECRET. We mustn't raise our voices too loud.—We're already in the catacombs, we're already underground. And you had better be quiet & watch your step, because the "Enemy is listening"! It's become identifying now to even carry a Bible!

6. (SARA: IN SOME OF THE NEW ADVISORIES & LETTERS IT SAYS NOT TO TAKE LIT ACROSS BORDERS. … Well, we were wondering what they should do if they are in a normal Home & they are going to try to keep on the move. They would probably be crossing plenty of borders.

7. (IF THEY SHOULDN'T BE CARRYING ANY LIT WITH THEM, how could they have the Words with them?) Well, normally‚ if you are crossing a border, you would be crossing from one language area to another‚ & the language lit you had before wouldn't do you any good in a new country. (Maria: Yes‚ but what about their Books?

8. (THEY ALMOST HAVE TO KEEP THEIR BOOKS, because there is no place to store them. When they pick up & leave, they pick up & leave!—They may never see the place again, or have any further later contact.) Well, all they can do is try it. If anything happens, I'm just going to say, "I told you so!"

9. I'M JUST TELLING THEM THE ABSOLUTELY SAFE WAY TO CROSS A BORDER, We don't know what some of these countries or some of these officials are going to do. If you want to really play it safe, then you need to cross borders without any lit …, if you can help it. Do you have any more questions?

10. (QUESTION: WHAT ABOUT GIRLS MARRYING THEIR FISH?) All these questions are answered in the Letters. Goodness gracious, I've handled these questions so many times I wonder why people ask them? We get 'em & we get 'em. It's answered in "The Bait That Fell in Love with a Fish." (No. 552.) (Maria: Well, the kids keep asking.) It's because they don't read the Letters.

11. IT ALL DEPENDS ON THE SITUATION: THE OCCASION‚ THE FISH, THE GIRL‚ everything.—Whether she wants to settle down the rest of her life, or at least for awhile, with her fish.—Whether it's worth it, maybe she's already had one or two children by him or others. I think that by the time they get one or two children by a fish, if he wants to live with her & settle down with her, well why not?—Especially if he's worthwhile at all. I generally think it's worthwhile.

12. (MARIA: WHAT IF SHE AGREES TO LIVE WITH HIM IF SHE CAN STILL GO OUT FFing ON THE SIDE?) Well now, that's expecting too much of most fish unless he becomes very, very dedicated & extremely understanding, like one of us! But there aren't even very many men in the Family that are that understanding. There are not too many of our own men who can even take it, so I wouldn't expect that of a fish.

13. (MARIA: FOR EXAMPLE, WE HAVE ONE GIRL WHO IS PREGNANT WITH THE BABY OF A FISH WHO IS NOW AT HOME IN ANOTHER COUNTRY WITH HER FIRST BABY BY HIM, a one-year old. She writes, "It breaks my heart not to be with my child & my fish back in Italy, but I just know I should keep on doing the Lord's work & I should just keep on FFing. I can't just minister only to him all the time.") Well‚ what makes her think that maybe he's not the Lord's work? It could be that he is the Lord's work! Maybe she's just selfish & doesn't want to be tied down.

14. BY THE TIME YOU'VE GOT ONE OR TWO KIDS, YOUR JOB IS CUT OUT FOR YOU!—That's the Lord's work! It's a full-time job taking care of kids‚ even one! Don't say, "I haven't got time to take care of my kids, I'm too busy with Lord's work." Baloney!

15. IF GOD'S GIVEN YOU TWO OR THREE KIDS, THEY ARE THE LORD'S WORK! (Maria: Well, a lot of our girls are saying, "I have so many children, I can't get out FFing. I'm too tired!") Well alright! Take care of the kids of course! Let's face it!—

16. FFing IS PRIMARILY FOR THE SINGLE GIRLS WHO HAVE NOTHING ELSE TO DO & no kids to take care of & very little else to do. If they have a daytime job, they are free in the evenings, unless they've got kids that they are taking care of, or they're a childcare worker. Secretaries & all kinds of other workers are free in the evenings, & they can get out! It's easy to do!—But!:

17. IF YOU'VE GOT SEVERAL CHILDREN, THERE'S NO QUESTION ABOUT IT! There shouldn't even have to be any decision about it! You already have a job! You haven't got time for anything else! Take care of the kids! If you already have got a husband & children, you've got a full–time job already.

18. I'VE SAID TIME & AGAIN, FFing IS NOT FOR EVERYBODY. It's only for special people who really have got the guts & the time & the talent & so on. It is not for everybody! Everybody can do it sometime or other, but it's not a full-time job for everybody.

19. THERE ARE ONLY A FEW PEOPLE THAT CAN DEVOTE THEIR FULL TIME TO IT. There are only a few that can devote their part time to it! We are getting more & more now to where we've got families with two or three children—it's getting almost to be the average! Now when you get that far along, you most likely can't FF much at all anymore. I don't see how you can! Well, some of you do.

20. IT'S AMAZING TO ME WHEN I READ THE TALES OF SOME OF THESE COUPLES & GIRLS WHO HAVE SEVERAL CHILDREN & ARE STILL FFing. …

21. I DON'T RECALL EVER SAYING THAT EVERYBODY'S GOT TO GET OUT & FF.—Never! I said that everybody that can, ought to get out & FF‚ everybody that's got the burden, everybody that's got what it takes to do it. But I also said‚ it's not for everybody! I've said that plainly in several Letters, in the FF series, it's just not for everybody!

22. THERE ARE SOME GIRLS WHO JUST HAVE A REAL TALENT FOR IT. And they don't have any husband or any children or anything.—They are free. There are a few wives who have a good talent for it even, & who happen to have an understanding husband, which is rare. (Maria:—That can stay home & take care of the kids at night.) But that is rare! That is very rare!

23. BUT THERE ARE HARDLY ANY FISH THAT I KNOW OF WHO ARE GOING TO PUT UP WITH YOU STILL FFing after you've had two or three children by him & he wants to settle down. They are still babes. Maybe in a few years it might get to that point. But it's not going to be any time soon, I don't think.

24. I KNOW WE'VE HAD A FEW GIRLS TRY IT & THEY OFFENDED THEIR FISH terrifically & it's one of their biggest problems right now. "I can't understand! My fish doesn't want me to go around with anybody else now. I've got two or three children by him & he can't understand why I won't settle down with him & just live with him!" Well, I think she should! (Maria: If he's worthwhile & he wants to live for the Lord.) Of course!

25. YOU HAVE TO WEIGH EVERY CASE ON ITS OWN MERITS. It all depends on the fish & how much he loves the Lord & how sincere he is & if he really wants to live for the Lord & so on. And a lot depends on the girl—whether she wants to settle down with anybody or not.

26. I'VE WRITTEN LETTERS ON BOTH SIDES OF THE FENCE: "Mothers of God" on one side of the fence: You gotta stick to him & mother him until you see him through. "Nuns of Love" on the other side of the fence: You cannot get yourself tied down with a husband if you want to be a full-time FFer! But the decision is up to you! You've got to decide on what you can do & what you want to do. You can't be both!

…

28. WELL, YOU'VE GOT TO WATCH OUT FOR SOME OF THESE LAZY‚ AMERICAN GIRLS!—Reared in luxury, never washed a dish, never cooked a meal, never swept a floor, never knew how to do any kind of work, but sit around & watch television & read magazines! I don't know how they ever got in the Family, but anyhow, we probably have a few of them. (Maria: I did‚ & I never did housework!)

29. THEY HAD NEVER HAD TO DO ANYTHING‚ & ALL OF A SUDDEN THEY'VE GOT A WHOLE FAMILY TO CARE FOR! They've got a husband, who they couldn't even get along with to begin with, & then they've got a whole slew of kids to take care of. That is hard, hard work & a full-time job, as any real woman, real wife‚ real mother‚ real housekeeper ought to know!

30. IT'S PROBABLY THE FIRST HARD WORK THEY'VE HAD TO DO IN THEIR WHOLE LIVES! And some of those lazy gals are just looking around for the easiest out, the easiest excuse to get out of it. "Oh, I gotta go FFing," dump the kids on the guy & beat it! "To hell with you & the kids. I'm going to go have a good time—go out & get drunk & fuck my fish & just have a ball!" (Maria: But I think the Lord is trying to really show us where His main emphasis is, by giving everybody scads of children! Almost everybody is pregnant now.)

31. FROM THE TIME GOD GIVES A WOMAN A CHILD, & HAS MADE HER A MOTHER, THAT'S WHAT HE EXPECTS HER TO DO! That's the job He has given her to do! That's the main thing that she has to do! And that comes first! And if she has a husband‚ a full-time mate, he is important too! They come first. If they happen to have any spare time, & any strength left, which isn't very likely, then maybe they can get out & do a little FFing, but I doubt it!

32. YOU GOTTA USE PLAIN COMMON SENSE!: IT ALL DEPENDS ON THE INDIVIDUAL CASE‚ the personality of the woman, the personality of the man & the situation, how many kids you've got by him now & so on! I don't care if the woman's got ten kids‚ if she's taking good care of them, but doesn't want a husband …, well alright! … But:

33. I'M FED UP WITH PEOPLE WHO THINK THAT AFTER THEY'VE GOT TWO OR THREE CHILDREN, THAT'S NOT THEIR MOST IMPORTANT JOB! My Lord! Of course your children are your most important job! I mean, to think that you can just throw them aside & throw your husband aside too just to go out FFing regardless, & neglect them & pay no attention to them & forget about them, that's … idiotic…! Ridiculous!

34. WHEN GOD'S EVEN GIVEN YOU ONE CHILD, YOUR MAIN JOB IS TO BE A MOTHER!—BUT EVEN IN THAT ARE EXCEPTIONAL CASES!—Look at Maria! Or there may be some girls who are top-notch FFers & don't have the slightest interest in taking care of children at all! You wonder why the Lord ever gave this girl a baby—"She's no mother! … She would rather FF!"

35. WELL, MAYBE THERE'S A GIRL IN THE HOME WHO IS JUST CRAZY ABOUT BEING A MOTHER, who has no husband & no children, but she loves to take care of the child. Well PG!—There you are. It depends on the circumstance & the situation & the individual people. You just can't make any rules that have no exceptions. But I would say the rule is, if there was a rule, & I would think that there is:

36. A WOMAN WHO HAS A CHILD IS SUPPOSED TO BE ITS MOTHER & take care of it, number one! And, number two‚ a woman with a husband is supposed to be a wife & take care of him! If there are any other kinds of situations, they will be the rare exceptions & certainly not the standard rule. I don't know why anybody even has to be told that! You'd think people would have enough sense to know that, & I've put it in enough Letters!

37. IF YOU'RE A REAL HOT-PANTS FFer & YOU WOULD RATHER DO THAT THAN ANYTHING ELSE, & maybe not good at anything else & you're good at that, well, I believe people ought to do what they want to do, if possible. If somebody wants to be a wife to your husband & mother to your kids instead of you, fine! But you'd better find somebody like that before you start running away from home all night every night! My Lord, I've written so many Letters on the subject! It's just easier to ask questions than it is to read the Letters, that's all.

38. (MARIA: WELL, YOU KNOW A LOT OF FAMILIES WITH MANY CHILDREN ARE NOW GETTING SYSTEM JOBS‚ & the leadership seems to be considerably worried about it. They are writing from all corners of the world saying, "Well, I think they're backsliding because they are not doing any of the other Seven Supporters. They are just working at System jobs & that's all.") That is one of the Seven Supporters! (Maria: Yes, but they're not doing anything else:

39. (THEY ARE NOT GIVING OUT LIT, THEY ARE NOT WITNESSING‚ they are not doing anything, except the wife stays home with the kids, the man goes to his job eight hours a day, & when he gets home everybody is tired so they can do nothing else.)

40. IF A WOMAN HAS SEVERAL CHILDREN, EVEN IF IT'S ONLY ONE, THAT'S GOING TO TAKE NEARLY ALL OF HER TIME at home. If she has a husband or mate of some kind, she has two babies—her husband & her first child. And your husband is one of the biggest babies you'll ever have, because you are just learning how to take care of him!

41. OUR AVERAGE HOME NOW IS TWO MATES, TWO CHILDREN, A SINGLE BOY & A SINGLE GIRL. Now that's a perfect combination if you work it right. If necessary, the two men can get out & work or litness or whatever they have to do, & the two women can stay home & take care of the kids & the house & the cooking—a full–time job!

42. A HOME IS A FULL-TIME JOB!! If you are going to take care of it right, if you are going to keep it clean. Most small homes like that don't have a full-time maintenance man. You've got to do your own cleaning, sweeping‚ washing & ironing clothes, shining & polishing, & if you've got to cook on top of it, two or three meals a day for a family, that's a big job! Then if you've got to take care of a husband at night besides, & maybe a brother as well, that's a job!

43. THERE AREN'T VERY MANY WOMEN WHO ARE GOING TO HAVE ANY TIME LEFT TO DO ANYTHING ELSE! Not even to litness, which could be a help to the family, much less FF!—Even if her husband & brother will put up with it.

44. THE NORMAL THING IS FOR THE MEN TO GET OUT & EARN A LIVING, believe it or not!—And maybe the single girl too, when she is not too busy helping the mother at home. Whether it's litnessing, or café singing, or provisioning, or FFing of rich women or writing letters‚ or a job in the System: There are all kinds of jobs at which you can not only earn money & support a family, but you can be a good witness as well, especially teaching jobs & things like that.

45. I THINK YOU OUGHT TO DO WHAT YOU'RE BEST AT. Some guys are fantastic litnessers & can put out 10,000–15,000 copies in a month & support a whole Home well‚ one good litnesser! They are good at it! They are good salesmen, & they have the faith for it & they're fantastic! But some of them are slowpoke deadpans that nobody would even want to take it from free, much less pay for it! But they might be a fantastic mechanic or waiter or something else.

46. WE'VE GOT GUYS & GIRLS WHO CAN GET OUT IN ONE DAY & PROVISION MORE or litness more or … FF more & make more money that way in one day than they could make at a System job in one month! It depends on what you can do & what you're good at! But that's nothing against the poor guy who's not an FFer, he's not a litnesser, he doesn't know how to provision, he's not an entertainer, can't cafe sing or anything else, but he's a great mechanic! Or he's a great plumber! Or he's a fantastic electrician! (Maria: In a lot of cases there is only one couple with a lot of kids. The husband gets a job & the wife stays home & teaches their children the Letters. They stop everything else except training their children. Is that enough of an accomplishment?)

47. IF THAT'S ALL THEY CAN DO, THAT'S ALL THEY CAN DO! That's the fact of the matter! It all depends on what they can do‚ & who is good at what! I have said this I don't know how many times!

48. IF YOU ARE NOT A MISSIONARY, IF YOU ARE NOT A GOOD LITNESSER, IF YOU ARE NOT A GOOD FFer, if you are not a good provisioner, if you are not good in this full-time service for the Lord without having to do anything else, if you can't do it, you don't know how to do it & you are not good at it, then for God's sake go back to the States or go back to Germany or wherever you came from, & earn a good living at something you know how to do & support some missionary who can!

49. IF YOU DON'T KNOW HOW TO DO ONE OF THE OTHER SIX THINGS TO SUPPLY YOUR NEEDS by what you might call "full-time service for the Lord," then for God's sake!—Get yourself a job! That's something you know how to do, & at which you can make enough money to totally support yourself & your family & help support somebody else on the field who is working "full-time" for the Lord.

50. I HAVE TO SAY THESE THINGS OVER & OVER AGAIN so many times, when it's all in the Letters. It's all been said. But somebody comes along with a question again because they haven't bothered to look it up in the Books‚ but it's all there.

51. I'VE TALKED ON THESE SUBJECTS TIME & TIME AGAIN. I don't think there's anything we haven't dealt with already that I have not said before. I spend most of my time nowadays saying the same things over again I have been saying for the last ten years! Maybe we're just sort of classifying it a little more now. Read the Letters! The answers are all there!—Please!—Thanks!

Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family

Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family