ISSUE 77 _ NOVEMBER 15, 1999 _ CM/FM Grapevine The features PONDER S2K Reactions and Changes .................................... 6 Follow-up Presentations, Sao Paulo ...................... 10 Nourish the mind like you would your body. The mind cannot survive on junk food.Jim Rohn GETTING )?JEL=JA@ Reports from )?JEL=JA@ Desks EURCRO Activated! Desk: We have had a good month with 60 new subscriptions coming in from Europe and Africa. We got our monthly mailing off on October 26 and we sent off a total of 150 magazines. The subscriptions almost doubled from last month! Many of the same Homes have sent in addresses again this month and a number of new Homes started getting involved. Leyland and Spring in South Africa are still the shiners with 22 paid subscriptions and 28 addresses for free magazines this month. God bless them! We are very happy with the progress this month and pray that the coming month will be even more fruitful. We will be praying about how we can best promote the use of the Activated! materials during the pre-Christmas months. We believe that if we can get the Activated! products out on the shelves and accessible to the Homes, they will sell themselves! Everyone that we have showed the new books to has been very impressed and wanted to get involved in the Activated! program straight away. We’ve already given the CROs and some of the VSs sets of books to show on their visitation, which gives them something inspiring to share with the Homes as well as serves as an opportunity to give the Homes the vision. Brazil Activated! Desk: In this last month we only received 23 subscriptions, and 86 requests for the first 3 mags. We realize it always takes time for a new push in the Family to really “take off,” and we’re going to be sending out an inspirational reminder to the Homes soon to try to help them really catch the vision for getting more subscriptions for Contato (Activated in Brazil). We have noticed that more Homes are beginning to participate in the Contato program, which gives us hope that soon we’ll be receiving more subscriptions. India Activated! Desk: The response from the Homes is picking up and we are getting more subscriptions. PTL! Our subscriptions from last month almost doubled, to 45 subscriptions. We now have 83 paid subscriptions to date. We held an Activated ACM for our city. We covered such points as prayer for the Activated! program, “question and answer session,” shiner Homes sharing testimonies on how they get out subscriptions as well as brainstorming ideas on how to get out more subscrip- tions. We also had a “show and tell” of the Activated! products we have on hand. We also plan to have the VSs do a similar ACM when they visit the various cities in order to give the Homes more of a vision for the program and create an awareness of all that is available. newsy highlights (MORE ACTIVATED NEWS ON PAGE 13) Y2K checklist Do you have the following survival items on hand? ü Water ü Food ü First aid kit ü Gas stove, or other means to cook if city gas/ electricity shuts down ü Generator if needed; or at least light and heat supply ü Fire extinguisher(s) Have you …? ü Discussed contingency plans as a Home ü Held Home Councils about Y2K prep ü Set money aside for January/ February ü Prayed and asked the Lord for specific Y2K instructions for your Home If not, you’re not ready for Y2K … and there are only 47 days to go (as of Novem- ber 15 th )! Get ready now!!! )?JEL=JA@ Advance copies of Chinas Hour GN being sent to China/ Taiwan Family BY MAMA The Lord has poured out some wonderful counsel and instruction about the vast field of China, which I’ll be sharing with you in a new GN called “China’s Hour” (GN 877)—coming soon! This GN is one of the ones that you will receive in advance, in preparation for any possible mail slowdowns due to Y2K. But it is noted in the mailing that you are not to read it until February. However, the Lord said that we should allow the Homes in China and Taiwan to read it immedi- ately, as they would greatly benefit from having this counsel and instruction from the Lord as soon as possible. So if you in other fields hear via e-mail or through some avenue about the brethren in China or Taiwan having read this GN already, and your Home hasn’t read it yet, don’t worry. You’ll be able to read it soon. In the meantime, please continue to keep our brothers and sisters in China and Taiwan in your prayers. They have a tremendous harvest to reap—one that is difficult and requires a great deal of patience, wisdom and love. Your prayers can do mighty things! photo requests BY WS A big thanks to all of you who have been sending in such great articles and testimonies! We will have another FSM or two to head out to you soon, and we’d love to spice them up with some of your beautiful smiling faces. Any of those listed below, please send a scanned photo to the Grapevine e-mail address, designated for the FSM editors. Thanks! It can be a close-up of you, or a group shot of your family—or both. Thanks! * Ruth (catacomber/new disciple), Russia * Caleb, Nigeria * Eric, Mexico * Thai Marie Claire, Thailand * Chinese Lily, Taiwan * Job (22), USA * Daniel (Francesco), Chile * Samuel Malachi (formerly Dane), USA * David Apostol (of Paloma), Russia * Matthew (of Anna), India * Lydia, India * Wilfried, Holland * Stephan and Fay, Eastern Europe WORLD NEWS ..................................... 2 GRADUATION NOTICES ........................ 2 TWO POST-ITS ..................................... 3 JETT/JUNIOR CAMP, HUNGARY ........... 4 ACTIVATED TIPS AND FEEDBACK ......... 4 LEGAL AND MEDIA ................................ 4 NET: BIBLE QUIZ PROGRAM ............... 12 NEW CD ORDER, DC BAND ................. 16
EURCRO Activated! Desk: We have had a good month with 60 new subscriptionscoming in from Europe and Africa. We got our monthly mailing off on October 26 andwe sent off a total of 150 magazines. The subscriptions almost doubled from last month!
Many of the same Homes have sent in addresses again thismonth and a number of new Homes started gettinginvolved. Leyland and Spring in South Africa are still theshiners with 22 paid subscriptions and 28 addresses for freemagazines this month. God bless them!
We are very happy with the progress this month andpray that the coming month will be even more fruitful. Wewill be praying about how we can best promote the use ofthe Activated! materials during the pre-Christmas months.We believe that if we can get the Activated! products out onthe shelves and accessible to the Homes, they will sellthemselves! Everyone that we have showed the new booksto has been very impressed and wanted to get involved inthe Activated! program straight away. We’ve already giventhe CROs and some of the VSs sets of books to show ontheir visitation, which gives them something inspiring toshare with the Homes as well as serves as an opportunityto give the Homes the vision.
Brazil Activated! Desk: In this last month we onlyreceived 23 subscriptions, and 86 requests for the first 3mags. We realize it always takes time for a new push inthe Family to really “take off,” and we’re going to besending out an inspirational reminder to the Homessoon to try to help them really catch the vision forgetting more subscriptions for Contato (Activated inBrazil). We have noticed that more Homes are beginningto participate in the Contato program, which gives ushope that soon we’ll be receiving more subscriptions.
India Activated! Desk: The response from the Homes ispicking up and we are getting more subscriptions. PTL!Our subscriptions from last month almost doubled, to 45subscriptions. We now have 83 paid subscriptions to date.
We held an Activated ACM for our city. We coveredsuch points as prayer for the Activated! program,“question and answer session,” shiner Homes sharingtestimonies on how they get out subscriptions as well asbrainstorming ideas on how to get out more subscrip-tions. We also had a “show and tell” of the Activated!products we have on hand. We also plan to have the VSsdo a similar ACM when they visit the various cities inorder to give the Homes more of a vision for theprogram and create an awareness of all that is available.
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Do you have thefollowing survivalitems on hand?� Water� Food� First aid kit� Gas stove, or
other means tocook if city gas/electricity shutsdown
� Generator ifneeded; or at leastlight and heatsupply
� Fireextinguisher(s)
Have you …?� Discussed
contingency plansas a Home
� Held HomeCouncils aboutY2K prep
� Set money asidefor January/February
� Prayed and askedthe Lord forspecific Y2Kinstructions foryour Home
If not, you’re notready for Y2K … andthere are only 47 daysto go (as of Novem-ber 15th)!Get ready now!!!
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The Lord has poured out some wonderfulcounsel and instruction about the vast field ofChina, which I’ll be sharing with you in a new GNcalled “China’s Hour” (GN 877)—coming soon!
This GN is one of the ones that you will receivein advance, in preparation for any possible mailslowdowns due to Y2K. But it is noted in themailing that you are not to read it until February.However, the Lord said that we should allow theHomes in China and Taiwan to read it immedi-ately, as they would greatly benefit from havingthis counsel and instruction from the Lord assoon as possible.
So if you in other fields hear via e-mail orthrough some avenue about the brethren inChina or Taiwan having read this GN already, andyour Home hasn’t read it yet, don’t worry. You’llbe able to read it soon. In the meantime, pleasecontinue to keep our brothers and sisters inChina and Taiwan in your prayers. They have atremendous harvest to reap—one that is difficultand requires a great deal of patience, wisdom andlove. Your prayers can do mighty things!
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A big thanks to all of you whohave been sending in such greatarticles and testimonies! We willhave another FSM or two to headout to you soon, and we’d love tospice them up with some of your beautifulsmiling faces. Any of those listed below, pleasesend a scanned photo to the Grapevine e-mailaddress, designated for the FSM editors. Thanks!It can be a close-up of you, or a group shot ofyour family—or both. Thanks!
* Ruth (catacomber/new disciple), Russia* Caleb, Nigeria* Eric, Mexico* Thai Marie Claire, Thailand* Chinese Lily, Taiwan* Job (22), USA* Daniel (Francesco), Chile* Samuel Malachi (formerly Dane), USA* David Apostol (of Paloma), Russia* Matthew (of Anna), India* Lydia, India* Wilfried, Holland* Stephan and Fay, Eastern Europe
������������������ ��� �� ��������John, Rose, Joyful, andAaron, India: On June 27 weopened a school for about 200children in a small village inWest Bengal. The children areexcited and their parents arevery thankful that theirchildren will be receiving aneducation. We fixed up arundown school building withthe help of the local villagers,and we pretty much have freerein at the school.
����������� ��������������Lily, Kenya: Since there is onlyone doctor per every 10,000people in Kenya, we felt urgedto respond to the desperateneed for medical care in theslum villages. Last year in Aprilwe began to organize freemedical camps, and last monthwe held our seventh.
All the medicine for thetreatment of 600 children,mothers and elderly wasdonated by individuals andpharmaceutical companies.Nearly 100 different types ofmedicine were needed. Eightdoctors, three nurses and fivepharmacists volunteered theirservices for the day. We set upa first aid corner wherepeople with open woundsreceived treatment andencouragement. This cornerwas handled by two of ouryoung people, one of whomhas taken a first aid course.
During the camp weprayed with over 200 peopleto receive Jesus. Each personwho received a bag ofmedication also got a Bibleverse in the local language,encouraging them to claimtheir healing in prayer. A largepharmaceutical companyvisited the camp to see howwe organized it as they arealso planning to pledge
medical services to the poor.We received TV coverage onthe local news, which servedas a call to other companiesand groups to participate infilling this desperate need inorder to help the thousandswho live in slum villagesaround Nairobi.
������� �������Tim, Rachel, Korea: Familymembers Tim, Rachel (18) andJohnny (15) joined othermembers of the Seoul Interna-tional Rescue Corps and racedthrough the streets of Korea’scapital, escorted by screamingsirens of a Red Cross vehicle, inresponse to a flood distress callnorth of the capital (Seoul) thispast month at the height of themonsoon season.
The Korean daily newspa-per, Joong Ang Ilbo wrote anarticle on this effort. Photos ofJohnny and Tim with otherrescuers were featured in thepaper under the title “Kore-ans’ pain is also our misfor-tune.” It was a very positivearticle about the willingness ofthe foreign community tojump to the aid of the Koreanflood victims.
��� �� ������ ��������������Mark, Maria, John and Ruth,USA: We just returned fromour fourth aid trip to CentralAmerica! We were able todeliver 50 hospital beds to oneof the hospitals that washardest hit during thehurricane. We were ontelevision and in the papers.We also had the opportunityof meeting some of the richestpeople of the country; theywere very impressed with ourwork and we were invitedback for Christmas—this timeto paid shows with all accom-modations taken care of! PTL!That’s a wonderful help as uptill now, all costs have beencoming out of our ownpockets. We believe thesepeople can be a big help whenwe move down.
���������Japan: Miguel (YA former member, of Gideon and Joan) went tobe with the Lord on October 2nd. He had contracted a high fever,which lasted for a few days. He was taken to a large hospital, butshortly after arriving his heart stopped and he passed away. Thisdisease (not contagious) is very rare, and there have only beenthree other people in Japan in the last ten years who have died ofthis.
Please continue to pray for Gideon and Joan, and theirchildren, for their strength and encouragement during this time.If you would like to send a donation to Gideon and Joan and theirchildren you can send in via the PACRO office.
Happy Birthday, Miguel! Happy Birthday, My son! Today is a day of rejoicing, aday of victory; the day that My beloved has come Home;
the day of the birth of a new life! My son, My beloved, was dead and now he isalive again. Therefore, rejoice with Me for his new life,
which he has just begun to live Here in Heaven.
Miguel VS: We just heard from Gabriel (of Nina) in Germany, thatNina went into a coma after lung failure, and at 1:00 P.M. onOctober 17, she peacefully passed away.
This precious one is safe in My arms. I know that her loved ones have shedtears and that they feel the loss of her physical presence. But she is very much
living in the spirit, and is now able to help you from this dimension in a greater waythan before. Her body was tired from the strain of illness, and I chose to relieve
her by taking her into My arms. So rejoice and do not weep, for she is very happy,and happier still to be able to continue to love and care for her loved ones from
this Side, and to help and encourage many others.
������ �������������Ruth Fighter, India:
Location:Buffalo country!—A village 110kilometers outside New Delhi.
Date:India’s Independence Day.
Occasion:The Family has been invited toperform at a village school.
The Miracle:I’ll start at the beginning! Sixmonths ago we met a sweetlady who is the director ofthree village schools. Theseschools have been adopted bya leading educational institu-tion in an attempt to give thechildren in these villages topquality education. This ladyreally likes our work and ourvideos, and has taken largequantities of our tools for theseschools.
A couple of weeks ago sheasked us to come and
perform at one of theseschools on Independence Day.When we prayed about it theLord told us that He woulduse this program in the“boondocks” to open mightydoors for us, so off we went!
The program, consisting ofour Family songs as well aspatriotic Indian songs and adrama, went really well, andguess who the chief guest wasat the function?—TheSecretary for Indian Educa-tion, the highest rankinggovernment official in theentire country who is respon-sible for education in all ofIndia’s schools. Accompanyinghim were other high-rankingofficials, and all liked theprogram. One asked us to getback in touch with him, andsaid,” I want to help your workand support your efforts. Getback to me soon and we’ll seewhat we can do together!”
Moral of the story:It pays to hear from the Lord,and be prepared for anything,anytime, anywhere!
From WS: Thank you dear Family for your timeand sacrifices in assisting these academicswho study the Family and want to under-stand and help us. We are unique and need allthe help we can get in explaining our beliefsand lifestyle to the world. God bless you!
Mission For the DaringKarkata TribeEndtime CourageThe Tale of the Lone WandererWhat If?Endtime MissionThe Story of Mohammed Ali—
“The Desert Boy”Castra
CluesStory of JobJourney to DestinyThe PilgrimageThe Days of AccountabilitiesThe Magic PenThe Tale of TalbokSuspense story from Agatha ChristieWishing Well Stories
Peter: God bless all of you who are helping us to feed thesheep. “If you love Me, feed My sheep”. That’s the Lord’s call!Are you doing your part? Have you personally led anyone tothe Lord lately? If so, did you offer them an Activatedsubscription or the three free mags? Folks, we can’t fail theLord in this and the only way we’ll be able to faithfully feedthese new converts is if you do your part, if you send inthose subscriptions. Don’t leave home without subscrip-tion cards! Use’m every day. Amen?
In early October, intense rains pounded the southern part of Mexicocausing severe flooding in six states. This calamity was declared “thetragedy of the century” by Mexico’s president and in its wake lefthundreds dead, damaged thousands of homes and caused giganticlandslides. Continued rain and broken dams have inflicted furtherdamage and it could be eight months before the flood waters drain.
On October 26, a team of Family members and helpers set out toaid flood victims in the remote valley of Metztitlan, Hidalgo, wherewe heard they’d hardly gotten any food supplies. We found ourselvesdriving our car and three-ton truck up dangerous twisting mountainroads and then down, down into what seemed an incredibly low val-ley where we found the town of Metztitlan, three hours north ofMexico City. On the road we saw mile after mile of flooded farmlandsand houses with only roofs sticking out of the muddy water. Thesefields were formerly fertile lands producing black beans, corn, pump-kins and other vegetables that make up the main economy in the area.The local green beans were of high quality and Japanese businessmencame personally to buy the product.
We were led to some of the most needy communities that werenow under water. A part of the valley once covered with colorfulfields now to our shocked surprise displayed a lake engulfing theentire area for about twenty kilometers. At the water’s edge we en-countered army and navy units who’d set up their camps for rescueand transport operations.
Our friend, Rosita, talked with the soldiers she knew and they in-formed her there was a mountain top about eight kilometers into thelake that had been transformed into an island by the flood water andhad one hundred families trapped there. We’d heard that many of thedonated goods coming into the area had been intercepted and storedor given out meagerly and sometimes not at all. With a prayer weapproached an army captain, explained our humanitarian mission togive food directly to the flood victims and we pointed to the isolatedmountain top, indicating that that was where we wanted to help withfood supplies. The army captain agreed to help and organized his
men and motor boats to take us and our supplies to the Serrito de Tlacotepec.The boats were small so we had to make several trips to get all the supplies to the Serrito. On the thirty-
minute ride we saw treetops sticking out of the water and found that the deepest part was where the highwaywas, 18 meters under us. At the Serrito’s edge the villagers, soldiers and Family members quickly formed aline and passed the provisions from the boats to the top of the crest. Mothers with children and bags in handsurrounded us, eagerly waiting for us to hand out the food. When all were organized in a line, we passed outthe bananas, vegetables, beans and rice, and two of our teens sang “Peace in theMidst of the Storm.” Jesus Navarro, the coordinator of the village, rolled up hissleeves and helped us distribute the goods. The faces of gratitude and joy made thetiredness we’d felt melt away.
When all the families were together, Ben asked if they would like to join him inprayer and all present said the prayer of salvation.
Later that day we realized that the army boat units had left and would not becoming back as it was late afternoon when the winds and waves made boat travelimpossible. We were only clad in T-shirts and we wondered how we’d managestaying at this deserted island during the cold night. But to our relief, only one hourhad passed when two marine rafts showed up and came to ourrescue.
The village people pleaded for us to come back and spend afew days with them. Officials in the area said it would be abouteight months before the water drains, so we do plan on con-tinuing our help to this disaster area. We need your help too!Please send your donations to: C.A. Cedillo
Project HELP—M06C/O Family Care FoundationP.O. Box 6070Orange CA 92863-6070, USA
�am so looking forward to thechanges that this Shakeup 2000GN will bring. I know the Lord isgoing to do miracles and bring usback to the Gideon’s band thatHe wants us to be. I’m honoredto be a part and to receive theLord’s oath to us shepherds. Ifeel unworthy of such honor thatthe Lord is bestowing upon us.Lord help me to daily be desper-ate before His face, forsaking alland hearing from Him!
One of the main lessons theLord has been laying on my heartis how I need to hear from Himin prophecy daily. The Lord hasbeen telling me for the last fewyears that I need to makeprophecy more of a daily habit,but I have not made it a part ofmy daily life as I should have.LHM! With the Lord’s help, I havemade a commitment to spendtime loving and hearing fromHim in prophecy every day. TheLord told me even if I have towake up early every day, so be it,but my time hearing from Him isso vital that I need to do it dailywithout fail. By God’s grace, fromthis day forward I will make thatthe most important part of myday.
Lord help me to be a humbleand loving shepherd, totallydependent on the Lord andyielded to Him.
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he S2K Letters are so encouraging,even though four of my oldest kidsare heading to FM status. Despitethe deep personal heartbreak thiscauses to my wife and myself, I am100% thankful that the Lord hasgiven the Family this message atthis time.
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hrough the unofficial grapevine Ihad heard a number of com-ments that these GNs would belike ones in the past and simplypass by. I’ve taken time to explainto folks in my Home and othersthat the Shakeup is serious andthat the Lord means business. Itseemed that while the Shakeupdid shake people up, I wasn’t sosure how deeply people wereapplying it in their lives and seeingwhere they needed to makeneeded changes.
In the week I’ve been back in myHome I started noticing little compro-mises, and shared with everyone how notliving the Shakeup is often manifested inthe little things. No one in the Home isobviously out of it and openly promotingungodly attitudes, but it’s the habits andattitudes that need to change. They couldseem like little things each on their own,such as trying out System chat rooms,watching TV, someone playing Systemmusic openly while working, going to themovies to watch an un-rated moviethough being warned it would probablybe junk, reading novels without Homeapproval, teens playing soccer with thekids and railing at them for their mistakesand being sarcastic, etc.
It can be easy, I think, to sign thecontract and feel that now everything isokay and you get busy with life, servingthe Lord, and forget the deeper implica-tion of what the Shakeup means. Tocounter that, we started reading keyportions of the Shakeup GNs at devo-tions, and are pow-wowing how theyapply on an individual level and Homelevel. It surprised me that people werestill doing these things, but I think somedidn’t even realize or notice what theywere doing, as these habits and oldmindsets are quite deeply entrenched.
It says in the Shakeup GN that we canno longer go by our old reactions andways of seeing or judging situations.Although it might seem small, every littlecompromise and wrong decision on thepart of each individual ends up workingto create a weak, dry, lukewarm Home. Itwas good to discuss the Shakeup togetherand go over these points, and peoplewere receptive and want to do better.
The Shakeup is much more thansimply stopping certain worldly attitudes,but rather regaining our revolutionaryfervor and getting back to the basics oftotal dedication and commitment. What Ifelt a little in the Home was a spirit of,“Yes, I agree with the Shakeup and it’svery needed for the Family and I’vesigned the contract.” But I didn’t feel areal desperation on the part of folks toseriously examine every part of their livesand service for the Lord, as individualsand as a Home. They had gotten back onwith business as usual.
In devotions I shared with the Homethe section “Parable of the sick sheep,”where it lists three different categories:those who are “doing well,” those whoare “very sick spiritually” and those whoare “somewhere in between.” (See GN#857:70.) I feel there are still a goodnumber of people in that “in between”category. They’re not obviously sick,
they’re sweet, they love theLord, they read the Word, theycompromise with some worldli-ness, though less than before,they work in the Home—butthey are not on-fire, totallycommitted and revolutionary inspirit. They believe they are CMdisciples and by our old stan-dard they are, but with theShakeup it seems the Lord isexpecting much more of usnow.
In our Home discussion wecame to the conclusion thatthese three categories are thesame as the ones the Lordspeaks of in Revelations 3: hot,cold and lukewarm. It’s notenough just to be lukewarm, tojust keep the basic rules. Thepurpose of the Shakeup is to getus back to being “hot” disciples. Iexplained that if you want to belukewarm, you’re better suited tothe FM category, because as theShakeup GN says: “The CMFamily should be as the avant-garde, the most dedicated, theones who follow closely nomatter what.” (ML 3257 par. 181)
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he S2K GN was so right on. I’vebeen pretty slack these days. I’vebeen indulging in a lot of worldlyand ungodly influences, and nothaving the required amount ofWord time. System music, novels,movies and night-life have beennormal activities of mine recently,and there’s been a lot less Wordand prayer time for me. When I’dhave some free time, the firstthing I’d think of doing would beto read a novel, watch a movie, orgo out for a beer. I barely gave it asecond thought, so this GN reallygave me a good waking Shakeup!
I think the prophecy that mostspoke to me was “A ComingCleansing” (GN 857:31), aseverything the Lord said was soappropriate, and described mysituation of “walking with one footin both worlds” and “letting theEnemy of my soul pollute mymind with his lies, half-truths, andcorruption.” LHM! (GN 857:37,38)
The Lord was very sweet togive His encouragement in theprophecy at the very end (“HowCan You Do It?…” par.251), whereHe tells us that we can make itwith His help. I know that I’m
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used to doing things in the arm ofthe flesh and not giving muchglory to the Lord, as well as beingcritical of others. This GN reallydrove the point home and got merealizing how much more yielded Ineeded to be and how much Ineed the Lord and His help!
The Letter entitled “Jesus IsCalling You Back to the Beginning”(GN 857) was so appropriate too! Iwas getting many checks about myWord time and personal time withJesus, but I was just pushing themaside. But this last week I’ve hadthese strong “tuggings” and stillsmall voice convicting me, and Iremember thinking, Why can’t Ibecome a child again, regain thatinnocence, simplicity and love?When I read that prophecy I wasin my room and I couldn’t help butcry!
I remember at communionwhen I was young I’d start cryingwhen we’d sing the songs, “We AreHis Family” and “A Sacrifice ofLove.” The Lord mentions cryingout and weeping during songs inparagraph 14 of the prophecy. I’vealways been an emotional personbut recently I’ve sort of hardenedmy heart. LHM!
After reading the GN I had alittle bit of time before dinner so Ipicked up a From Jesus With Loveand started reading. It was sosweet and I had a moment toremake my connection with Him.The Lord also showed me to read“The Road to Commitment,” (ML#3064) which has been a big helpand encouragement as there’ssome pretty basic instructions onhow to recommit to the Lord!
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can’t express in words howwonderful it was to receive theS2K GN, and the beautiful result-ant changes it’s brought about ineveryone’s lives here. It’s like beingin a new Home even though it’sthe same people, and the samesituation. It’s making a big differ-ence! It’s like being set free fromthe chains of lukewarmness andcompromise, and seeing clearlyagain, judging things by thestandard of the Word and theCharter, and not putting up withanything that doesn’t come up tothat.
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ince reading the S2K GNs, I havetaken a lot of time to examine myheart. I believe it will take time formany of us as shepherds to getour vision back in very clear focusas to what the standard really is,since the little compromiseshappened over a length of time. Itprobably will be a step-by-stepprocess in some cases. I haveasked the Lord to totally re-wirethe way I see things from theWord, so that I am clearly seeingthings His way.
I wanted to write about aproblem that I believe is seriouslyaffecting the Family in the States,and probably in other richer areasof the world. I have seen it a lothere since the Charter but since itis not as blatant as cursing, over-drinking, etc., I think it is acompromise that is overlooked.Still, it is chipping away at theoverall spiritual condition of theFamily. It’s the question of Acts2:44-45 and “private” ownership.It’s doubtful that it happens asmuch on the mission field,because people are forced toshare out of sheer necessity.
I understand and have experi-enced firsthand that often incombos or large Homes, what was“everyone’s property” wassometimes “no one’s responsibil-ity,” and people aren’t always asdiligent with communal propertyas with their personal things.However, since the Charter, I haveseen that used as an excuse for alot of selfishness to come into theHomes, to where people havetheir own cars, their own finances,the kids have their own toys, etc.There’s nothing wrong withsomeone having something sothey are responsible for its care,but I would suggest that animportant part of stewardship isoverlooked—that of sharing whatthe Lord has so graciously givenyou to use.
It seems that we need tofaithfully shepherd on bothcounts: upholding the Charterrules on stewardship and makingsure that if something is damagedby someone they take responsibil-ity for it, but not neglect the otherside of the coin either—that ofhelping shepherd those who havepersonal items but slip intobecoming selfish with them andputting them before the Lord andHis work.
In one Home I was in, there wereseveral cars. A single-family Home whohad several children was in the city andasked another Home to borrow a car forone day while theirs was in the shop beingfixed. This man does not have a reputa-tion for being unfaithful with vehicles, sowhen they called and asked to borrowone, it seemed the Home should be ableto help. But most people’s first reactionwas that there wasn’t a car to share sincethey were “personal vehicles.” LHU!
I wholeheartedly agree with steward-ship, but we need to be careful that we arenot slipping into a System way of looking atour “things,” lest the Lord take them awayto teach us a lesson. If we look at the Word,the parable that comes to mind is of therich man who gave each of his servanttalents and the ones who invested (shared)are the ones who were blessed, whereasthe one who hid his talent was the one wholost out in the end. We may be able to saveour car from a few extra miles being put onit or from a scratch, or we can keep acouple of our children’s Lego pieces frombeing lost, but will we have gained theLord’s blessing? Nowhere in the Word do Isee the Lord’s definition of stewardship asselfish private ownership—to the contrary,it seems that in the long run, the Lord moreabundantly gives to those who faithfullycare for what He gives them, and alsoshare. It takes a lot of faith to share.
I wonder what all this “private” prop-erty is doing in the minds of our childrenwho are learning to hold on to their ownstuff in the name of stewardship. How willit affect them in the future when they aremaking decisions about what in their livesto give to the Lord?—All?—Or only whatthey think won’t hurt?
I have heard it said over and over invarious Homes, differences between the“Home’s money” and “my money,” the“Home’s car” and “my car,” etc., even “mytime” and the “Home’s time (schedule).” Itaffects the way people look at W&R or“after dinner” hours, and Lord help you ifyou have to ask them for a sacrifice! It isvery easy to slip into because it is part ofour selfish nature.
I think we need a change in mindset. If weare one of His disciples, it all belongs to theLord—we are simply the steward of it. I amnot suggesting a free-for-all so that peoplewho diligently care for vehicles or are savingtheir funds for the field get taken advantageof, but just that we check what our motivesare and make sure that we are putting Himand His Family first. If the Lord even expectsus to share our mates and lovers (with lots oflove, unselfishness and care), how muchmore should we be willing to share thephysical items He gives us to use?
That must have been a disappoint-ment, but the Lord knows and Herewards us when we have to give upthings and when we sacrifice. If wecan just keep things in the properperspective, realizing that thesesacrifices that we make on Earth areso minute compared with thewonderful, wonderful things the Lordhas in store for us. The sacrifices wemake now are really stacking uprewards for us later on. We don’t do itfor that, of course, but the Lord seesthe love that we have, and that we arewilling to make the sacrifices forHim and His work and for others,and He really does bless us for that.So, whenever you do have to make asacrifice, look at it that way. You’repassing a test when you sacrifice ascheerfully as you can.
The little sacrifices we make aregoing to be multiplied in His blessingsover and over and over, way out ofproportion to the things we have tosacrifice here. Each time we have tomake a sacrifice, or each time wehave a disappointment, we have toremind ourselves of that and praydesperately to sacrifice and givecheerfully. The Lord knows that it’sdifficult for us and that it’s humannature to be disappointed, so Hereally does reward us and commendus highly for those things that wesacrifice for Him.
Along with those sacrifices, Hegives us so many wonderful blessingsand wonderful surprises and treats!So when you stackthose all upagainst thelittle thingsthat wehave tosacrifice,thosesacrifices arereally minute.
We are writing this from beautiful, sunnyIvory Coast! Our story starts about fiveyears ago when it was suggested that I goFM with my six children. This was quite ashock for me, but I knew I had manylessons to learn, and accepted the challengeoffered me. It wasn’t an easy road, butthrough it all, the Lord has always beenwith me and has never left nor forsakenme.
I ended up in Holland, living on socialwelfare, having to put my children inSystem school. Yet the Lord gave me peace;I had to claim His protection and leave it allin His hands. I stayed in the Word, readingeverything I was allowed to take with me. Iread most of the MO volumes from coverto cover. I kept the kids in the Word, and wewent witnessing every Saturday. One of myolder children got to go live in a CM Homewith his dad, and I was very happy for him.God bless all my other older kids! Theywere a super encouragement to me duringthis time. They are all CM members andnever made me feel like I was no longer a“real” Family member. (This was before allthe changes were made concerning FMmembers.)
To make a long story short, I had lots ofpeople passing through my Home, mostlyCM members. Finally, one team ended upstaying with me for quite some time. Livingwith them really inspired me, and theyencouraged me. This gave me the faith toask for CM membership again. It was a bigstep for me, because I was alone with fivekids. I was also facing having to get a job,since the new law in Holland was that assoon as your youngest child turns five, youhave to find a job [as they want to get youoff welfare]. The Lord allowed this “pres-sure” to get me desperate to find out whatHe wanted me to do.
In the meantime, the Lord had done amiracle financially and my old uncle (mygodfather) who had always been ratherstingy and didn’t like me joining the Family,all of a sudden started giving each of mychildren (12 in total!) a large donation.Since five of them lived with me, I foundmyself with a large amount of money.When I asked the Lord what to do with it,He told us to use it to get to the missionfield! I wanted to go as a CM member, sonow we were praying and waiting to hearfrom the CRO office. I’ll never forget theday “the envelope” was in the mailbox! Iwas allowed to start my six-monthtransition period!
The next miracle was that my sonRichard and his Russian wife, Joanne, cameto Holland to take care of some paper-
work, and joined my Home. Patrick alsojoined our Home to raise funds to go toAfrica, so there were the voting members Ineeded! TYJ!
I started writing Homes in Africa to seewhat the possibilities for a single mom withnow four kids would be (one more of mysons joined his father’s Home!). God blessall the people that encouraged me! After afew tries I got an invitation from Steven andRose’s Home in Ivory Coast, and here weare! We’ve been here for six weeks now andit’s been everything we had hoped andprayed for—and more!
Another point worth mentioning is thatPatrick, who was raising funds in myHome, also got an invitation from thisHome, but he didn’t have any funds yet.The Lord laid it on my heart to offer to payhis way with our money; that same week,my old uncle that had given me that moneybefore gave the same amount again! “Younever lose by giving!” We were able to buy alaptop and we still had lots of landing fundsleft. It was the Lord’s setup that Patrick wasable to travel with us, as it was quite anadventurous journey and I was so thankfulthat I didn’t have to go alone with my fourchildren.
No matter how dark it seems at times inour life, the Lord never forsakes us, and Healways gives us something better than whatHe has taken away! He has given me somuch and I am very thankful that I kepthanging on. Being on this exciting andthrilling field is a dream come true!Witnessing is so fulfilling! Even when youjust go out with tracts, people come up toyou and beg for one. These are thesweetest, most precious and broken peopleI have ever met.
Pioneering Zambia���-��&� �%��&�&�����/�����
We arrived in Africa in March, andlanded in an already established Home inZimbabwe. We were very thankful for this,as we were able to get to know the Africanfield a bit and learn from the veterans. Wehave always enjoyed pioneering, but thistime we appreciated starting in this morestable situation.
After a few weeks, Jonas and Johnny (14)went down to South Africa. We had sent alarge shipment from Sweden, with personalbelongings as well as clothes and shoes forCTP, and it needed to be cleared. We werealso trying to find a vehicle for our family(four days before leaving Sweden, we hadreceived a large donation towards getting acar). Everything went very well withcustoms, but as far as getting a vehicle wefound the prices a bit high for us. However,Gideon and Rachel in Johannesburgoffered to help us buy a very nice vehicle atcost price, GBT!
Through a series of events, we felt theLord tugging on us to once again gopioneering and establish a Home. In muchprayer and hearing from the Lord, He gavevery specific instructions (all which havebeen fulfilled!) and showed us to go toLusaka, Zambia. Brazilian Emmanuel,newly arrived in Africa, offered to go withus on this scouting trip to help with thekids. God bless him, he has never been inchildcare before! So off we went.
We had received an address of aguesthouse given to us by a Family couplewho had been in Lusaka before, and thiswas the only address we had. It turned outthe Bishop of a church congregation livedthere with his wife. We explained that wewere looking for a guesthouse to spend thenight in, and that we were missionarieshoping to establish a work. He said therewas no guesthouse, but that he had threeextra rooms that we could use!
We ended up spending our entire staythere, and the Bishop prayed with us everymorning and night that we would find“God’s house”! The very next day, werealized we had actually gone to the wrongaddress, and when relating this to thebishop, he said: “It was God!” He and hisfamily, as well as their servants, wereextremely hospitable. They fed us threetimes a day, did our laundry and even tookcare of the baby, setting us free to househunt!
We came to Lusaka during the prepara-tions for the peace talks; the bishop himselfhad just returned from a prayer meetingwith the President and other CabinetMinisters when we arrived. The bishop isoriginally from Angola, which gaveEmmanuel a great opportunity to ministerto him in Portuguese. We gave him a WordBasics, which he faithfully studies and he isso hungry for the Words of David!
We needed a miracle and a big house, aswe were expecting another large family tojoin us. While sitting in the business centerof a hotel, a man approached Lisa andasked if we were looking for a house. Hesaid he had a few that he would like toshow us! We went with him and found thehouse the Lord had prepared for us! Thelandlord came down from another city,and even he said, “God kept it for you,” as ithad been vacant for six months. It has sixbedrooms, plus an additional house, and iscentrally located and within walkingdistance of the main university. He cut therent in half, changed the contract they waywe asked him to, put in a brand newkitchen, required no deposit, and only tookhalf-a-month’s rent to start with! The houseis located on a large property with sevendifferent kinds of fruit trees and a vegetablegarden. One of our closest neighbors is theChief Police Inspector of all Zambia, so oursecurity is very good!
We’ve found Zambia to be a very open,
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receptive field, with sweet people. As youhave read, the president has declared it aChristian country, so many people alreadyare Christians, but they need the Words ofDavid and are especially receptive to theEndtime message. There are large Indianand Muslim populations.
One day, we were sharing scriptures fromRevelations with some young men when wehad to suddenly leave for an appointment.When we returned awhile later, they werestill sitting there waiting to hear more! Theposters go out like hotcakes. This country isvery missionary minded and you immedi-ately gain respect when you tell people thatyou are a missionary family who has comethere to establish a work.
Zambia is a poor country, and has over600,000 street children. We look forward tostarting some fruitful CTP ministries, and oneof our supporters in Sweden has promisedthat if we find a worthy cause he will ask hisRotary Club members to support it.
All we can say is “glory to God,” becauseHe definitely is the One opening andclosing the doors, as He so many times toldus through prophecy that He would do. Weare so thankful to have heeded the call—tobe able to reach this very sweet people nowthat it’s Africa’s hour!
The call to Zimbabwe��� $&����� 0��/���
In March I was in Brazil, praying aboutgoing to Africa, and “Zimbabwe” came tome. At the time I had hardly heard thatname before. Nobody in my Home waseven sure if there was a Family Home thereor knew anything about that country.However, since I had heard it so clearly, Iwas sure that there must be a Home therefor me. I started doing research and withina few weeks, I got in contact with the Home
there and received clearance to come over.It was truly a miracle of God how the
doors opened. In just 20 days, God suppliedthe tickets and all the funds necessary.David, a dear friend who works withshipping insurance, knew a ship owner thathas one ship that runs a line between Braziland Africa, and spoke to him on my behalf.He consented to let me travel on it—a realmiracle!
Another friend, Marcel, the first time heattended one of our Bible classes and heardme speak of my desire to go to Africa, andthat I had already received the tickets fromBrazil to Luanda, Angola, immediately toldme he could get a ticket from Luanda toHarare, the capital of Zimbabwe. Manyothers of you helped too, I know many withgreat sacrifice, giving because God spoke toyour hearts! Thank you so, so much!
I left the port of Santos for Africa onMay 26, totally by faith and holding on tothe promises of God! The ship’s captain wasa kind man, welcoming me on board, andto my small room, complete with a bed,table, fridge and good lighting. It was likeHeaven on earth, spending my time indesperate prayer, filling my heart with HisWord and strengthening myself for whatwas to come.
I thought at first that my presence onthe ship would go unnoticed, but of courseI began to speak of Jesus and that personallove He has for each of us, that time isshort and that we must be desperate tomaintain a living relationship with Him. Iended up organizing a Bible class, and 15crew members got saved.
The night before my departure fromthe ship, the captain called me to the dininghall, and when he opened the door, the crewand officers were gathered around with atable filled with pastries and cake! There wasmusic playing, and a sign that said, “ToEmanuel, the officers and crew wish you
adieu and good luck on your mission ofteaching the Word of God, bringing to allhumanity faith, truth, love and confidence inour Lord Jesus Christ!” At seeing such ademonstration of tender love and thankful-ness, I couldn’t help but weep. Then thecrew and officers gave me an envelope witha donation that they said was a love gift!
I learned, upon arrival in Luanda-Angola, that the country is in the middle ofa civil war. The people that deal withshipping matters helped me by taking meinto town, as the plane I was to take hadalready departed that day and there wouldonly be another one four days hence. Theonly contact I had in town had moved onemonth earlier and the hotels were prohibi-tively expensive, but God did anothermiracle—I had to pay only for one half day.
Food is scarce and mineral water is theonly safe kind to drink. The city was filthy; apart of town had been without electricityfor a month. The only electricity was inthose buildings and businesses that hadtheir own generators. Architecturally-speaking the city is quite pretty, butunfortunately has been terribly damagedby the war. Please remember Angola inyour prayers! Despite all this, the peopleare so receptive to the Lord and thirsty forHis Word. I found my friend, who was likean angel; he took me to meet his family,who, despite all they’d gone through, wereso warm-hearted. I then flew to SouthAfrica, arriving the next day at my destina-tion: Harare, capital of Zimbabwe.
I am working in a Home with five adultsand six children. None of these speakPortuguese, and I speak little English, soour communication is all in English, whichis in itself a miracle! The people are veryhungry for God’s Word and very receptiveto His Spirit. The brethren here are buildinga small print shop to publish and spreadthe Words of David in greater quantities.
� % �$ ( � )�!���! *�+% �! �$,��%-Hi, everyone! Lots of love from the DC Home! The band just cut a new CD entitled The DC
Band—En Vivo En Mexico. It’s a live recording of the tour we did in Mexico at Christmas.Most of the songs are in Spanish, or are a mix of Spanish and English. The last song on the
album is “Viva Mexico,” a new song that Vas wrote especially for Mexico. The Mexicans lovedit! We think you’ll get a kick out of it too. There’s a “Reprise Jam” instrumental at the very endof the CD. There are some Spanish Christmas songs performed live in DC rock style. Thesewere big hits with the Mexicans and we hope they are with you too. There is “Drummer Boy”sung in Spanish and live recordings of a couple of Eagle Bleeds songs done a little differentlythan on the original album.
All in all it’s a pretty cool album—a little rough, but very much alive! It’s available on bothCD and cassette tape, though the cassette is a little shorter than the CD; it has three lesssongs.
