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Dear Mama,
This GN ("Crisis of Faith!"--Part 2) is terrific, and I'm sure it will be a great help to many! Most of the principles and promises seem to apply to anyone who is struggling for whatever reason -- not just those who are being hit with major doubts about the New Wine, yours and Peter's leadership, etc., so I really hope that everyone who could benefit from this counsel will take it
to heart, even if they don't think they are battling with doubts.
For example, my YA son is really going through it again. He has been quite down on himself for years, and sad to say, tries to compensate in all the wrong ways. Of course he's no fun to live with or be around when his problems get the best of him -- none of us are -- and this has created a vicious cycle he hasn't been able to break! I've felt for a long time that he is his own worst enemy, but because he doesn't have a lot of do
ubts about the Word, the Family or its leadership, I never thought of him as a doubter. Because I considered low self-esteem to be at the root of his problems, I just tried to encourage him all I could.
It wasn't until I read the prophecies and counsel in this GN and saw how much they applied to his situation that I understood that low self-esteem is really a form of doubt. It's self-doubt, but it can be just as deadly!
We're not supposed to feel strong in ourselves, of course, but when we c
ave in to self-doubts it's not really ourselves we are doubting, but Jesus and all of His promises that say He can and will change us and give us the victories that we need.
Our part is to have enough faith in Him and His Word to believe and follow His universal "formula for victory," as summed up in paragraphs 9 and 54 of this GN. I can't think of a single personal problem or battle which that short list of steps to take doesn't contain the answer to. It's amazing!
Overcoming our besetting
sins or anything that hinders our service for the Lord and happiness therein comes down to a "crisis of faith."
-- Leslie, WS
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Dearest Mama and Peter,
Thank you for answering the letter I wrote you, and most of all for asking the Lord about the questions I had. Those prophecies mean so much to me. I feel spiritually reinvigorated!
In the prophecy that you sent me from Dad, it is so amazing that in one part of it, Dad uses the same words and terms he used in a short message in tongues th
at he received for me 19 years ago (when I was on the Folks' staff). That short original prophecy has been a source of encouragement to me throughout the years.
No one but Dad and I know about the message he gave for me in the past, but as I read the one you sent, I got so excited as it was so similar and said the same things as the original one. He used the exact same terms, just completing the thoughts of the first message.
-- J. (adult man), Brazil
correction time
In issue #8 of the
Grapevine, in the section "Quarterly Nationality Stats," the country Mauritius was incorrectly listed as Mauritania. God bless Michael (Mauritian) with his wife Lydia and family, who are reaching Mauritius with the Gospel!
Mama's e-mail address
(From the HomeARC team:) It has come to our attention that the e-mail address for Mama, which was published in the installation booklet "Installing the HomeARC Programs -- 11/96" that was sent with the HomeARC program, is not correct. The other e-ma
il addresses listed in this booklet are correct. However, e-mail for Mama should be sent to: mpg@ibm.net.
If you have sent any e-mail to the "mpg@ibm.com" address, it is likely that it has not reached Mama, so please resend anything that was sent to that address. We are very sorry for this mistake!
notices
In February, in the British Isles, the court will review Pearl's custody of her son. When the judge ruled in Pearl's favor in late 1995, he stipulated that the case should be reviewed
in a year's time. The court will consider how Pearl is raising her son and whether the Family is still a suitable environment for him to grow up in. We ask that you please pray desperately for this review, and for Pearl, who has asked for prayer for encouragement and against negative thinking. Mighty things happen when we pray, so please have united desperate prayer for these matters. Thanks.
movie ratings
Movies Rated for Senior Teens and Up
STRIPTEASE (1996)
Demi Moore, Armand Assan
te, Burt Reynolds
Light action-drama about a single mom working as a stripper to make ends meet, while she struggles to gain custody of her daughter. Entertainment only.
Movies Rated for Junior Teens and Up
DAYLIGHT (1996)
Sylvester Stallone
Disaster thriller about a group of people who are trapped inside a collapsed tunnel. Traumatic in parts. Lots of good points for discussion, such as heroism, leadership, unselfishness/selfishness and teamworking. May be suitable for some JETTs.
JERRY MACGUIRE (1996)
Tom Cruise, Renee Zellweger
Romantic comedy about a hotshot sports agent struggling to make it in both his professional and private life. Deals with commitment and conviction, and the true values of life. Exposé on the big-money machine that drives the professional sports scene.
MRS. WINTERBOURNE (1996)
Ricki Lake, Shirley MacLaine, Brendan Fraser
A pregnant, unmarried woman is mistaken for the new wife of a recently deceased millionaire and is welcomed into his h
igh-society family. Good message about love, acceptance and parenthood.
Movies Rated for JETTs and Up
RACE THE SUN (1996)
Halle Berry, James Belushi
Drama/character study based on the true story of a group of Hawaiian high school students who enter a solar-powered car race with great aspirations. Good points for discussion on perseverance and pulling together as a team. Contains some foul language, sarcasm and bad attitudes which would be good to point out.
Movies Rated for OCs and U
p
CHRISTY (1994)
Kellie Martin
Drama based on the Christian novel by Catherine Marshall, about a young woman who goes to teach in a poverty-stricken mountain community in 1912. Somewhat churchy in parts. Some portions might be traumatic for young viewers -- especially since this is the pilot for an American TV series and all the issues are not resolved -- so discussion with younger audiences is recommended. (Note: The TV series has not been viewed or rated.)
Movies Rated for YCs and Up
LITTLE ENGINE THAT COULD, THE
(Animation)
Sweet half-hour story of a little railroad steam engine's determination to make it to a town across the mountains in order to deliver a load of children's birthday presents. A couple of mildly frightening parts, and a bad example of arguing in one place, but overall it is an uplifting story about perseverance and having the faith to keep going despite obstacles.
Non-Recommended Movies
LAND BEFORE TIME I, THE (Animated; 1988)
LAND BEFORE TIME
II, THE (Animated; 1992)
LAND BEFORE TIME III, THE (Animated; 1995)
feedback
I like the fact that we have more female vocalists taking the leads in up-beat songs. For example, "The Essence of Life," "Spend Time, Take Time," "Whispers of Love." Let's get the girls in the lead!
-- David (16), Middle East
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Yo, what's this talk of dropping rap music? Are you kidding? Our Home loves rap music. All 11 of us voted and it's unanimous -- "yes" for sure (the oldest is 38, the youngest is fiv
e). "Tap into the Power" is an excellent step in the right direction. "Charlie" is sooo cool. The more rap the better.
I decided to dump one System music tape for each new FTT tape. The music we like best is the stuff that gets into your bones and makes you move to the beat! And, how about some reggae?
-- Rose (20), Denmark
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Sometimes I get the impression by letters people write to me, or comments made by my peers that it isn't "cool" to be flipped over Family music. I personally think it
comes down to a matter of obedience. Those who do what the Lord says to do are the real "cool cats." Besides, why get dragged down with all that System junk? You can't beat Family music! It's the best -- and getting better!!
-- A. (17), Earth
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"The Revolutionary Children of God" is great! I really like the fact that our musicians are taking old hits and beefing them up. And for those who don't understand rap, I'd be more than happy to send you a translation, ha!
-- Stephanie (17), Middle
East
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In It Together was a super hit!! -- One of the best so far. I especially liked "I'm Going Walking," "I Promise You" and "Butterfly." You did an excellent job beefing up "Professor of Love." GBYAKYPTO! (God bless and keep you pumping them out!)
-- From Aaron (18), Ukraine
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What could be better than our Family music?! The answer is ... nothing!! We've got the stuff!! The words and the beat of each song on Stir It Up are just great. I especially like the song "Behold" and "Set Me Fre
e." Keep up the good work.
-- Betty (16), Czech
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We were surprised at some of the feedback in Grapevine #6, about rap being too aggressive and asking about voting against this style. The rap and the songs with a good strong beat are the songs we constantly listen to; we prefer that type of music. Thanks to our Family musicians who are making this mind-blowing music!
-- Tara (13), Malika (14) and Topaz (15), India
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The new tapes are DYNAMITE!!! My kids and I love them!
-- Esther Joy (T
S), USA
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I copy my favorite songs on to a tape, so that I can hear those particular ones frequently. Doing that may be a solution for those who have trials with certain songs. -- Just pick out the ones you like. "The Revolutionary Children of God," "Behold," "Charlie" and "Set me Free," amongst others are real hits. Keep `em coming!
-- Luchi (14), (Where are you?!)
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Hey -- studio musicians and song writers! I wanna give you all a big hip-hip-hooray for a job well done. Sorry you're gett
ing some rap (flack), but I guess it comes with the job. You can't please everyone all the time, but I'm in the "pleased" sector.
Sure, the more "hard core" songs have a driving beat, but it drives me in the right direction. It provides an alternative. Frankly, I wish we could wrap-up this rap on rap.
-- Paloma (SGA, of Gideon), Turkey
FTT fix-its!
-- From the WS Audio Department
-- Regarding the Plugged In labels and songbook: It was recently brought to our attention that Hopie (along
with Sunny James) also helped in the writing of the lyrics for the song "Tap into the Power." Our apologies, Hopie!
-- Regarding the Open for Love songbook: On pg.13 of the Open for Love songbook, the two "Bb/A" chords used in verse 1, line 4, and verse 2, line 4, of the song "Now and Forever" should actually instead be "Bm/A" chords. If you've received a copy of this songbook containing these errors, you might want to write the correct chord in. Sorry for the mistake!
what's up?
Gorbach
ev and Kennedy
Italy
(From Joshua and Rosella, TS:) This month I unexpectedly met Mikhail Gorbachev and Ted Kennedy! On both occasions, I was really there just "by chance." However, I was able to speak to both of them for a while and gave both tracts. I also gave Gorbachev a poster and tape.
Following a dream
USA
(From Andrew and Priscilla:) About 15 years ago, Priscilla had a distinct dream in which we were off the coast of mainland China, but able to go in and out through the bamboo c
urtain to witness fairly easily. With that in mind, I (Andrew) went to night school to obtain a teaching certificate, and wrote the Bureau of Foreign Experts of China about a possible teaching position. At the time, however, it didn't seem it was the Lord's will for us to go.
Yet now, after eight years in North America, the urge to obey Mark 16:15 is again heavy upon us. With the Lord confirming through prophecy the need to learn the language and to reach China, I was able to take a preliminar
y trip to China and Taiwan with James and his son Tracy. It's easy to see that the need for laborers is great, and we hope to move to Taiwan in the next few months in fulfillment of the dream the Lord gave us.
Rock concert for 20,000
Thailand
(From ASCRO:) A close friend of the Family asked us to help out with an anti-narcotics program he was involved in. Though our team was quite basic, being that our main singing team was busy that day, the Lord came through beautifully! When they got to
this performance, they found one of the largest crowds they'd ever performed for (about 20,000 people)! Our group performed several songs, and was able to meet a number of top people.
"Many are cold -- few are frozen…"
Russia
(From Jered and the N.U.T.S:)(Editor's note: Yo, what do you N.U.T.S. stand for? Your name is far-out, but we can't figure it out! We know you consist of several [nutty?!] young people ... more details, please! All right, on with their "chilling" story:) Imagine bei
ng stuck at night on an icy trail in the depths of a Russian forest, over 100 km away from the closest outpost of civilization. Plus, you're in an unheated bus, and you have just driven for half an hour without passing a single car when you then run out of gas! -- Sounds exciting, does it NOT?! Well, it happened to us recently! Not only were we out of gas, but we had no food, no blankets, and it was -35°C outside and nearly the same inside, and our limbs were creaking with the cold!
Okay, we'r
e getting ahead of ourselves here! Our story starts with eight nutty young people frantically rushing around at the last minute (as usual) to get together everything we needed for our prison concert and get out the door. A small provisioned bus was waiting downstairs to take us to a prison some 250 km (155 miles) away.
For the first 15 minutes of our journey, we were all in best of spirits, enjoying the beats booming out of our walkman and speakers, until we noticed a tingly sensation in our t
oes and fingertips. It appeared that our heating system was not working properly. It was supposed to be a two-hour drive, but the driver got lost and as two hours became three and three hours became four, we began to get desperate!
We finally arrived at the prison, defrosted our limbs and performed our concert for an extremely receptive audience, almost all of whom got saved! After being fed a wholesome meal by the precious nachalnic (big cheese) of the prison, we got on our way as fast as pos
sible, understanding full well the potential danger we faced: We were about to drive in the dark on tiny roads without any markings or road signs -- which makes finding your way difficult even in daylight (as our driver had already proven!).
We prayed, huddled together for warmth, and set off. About half an hour later the engine died. -- We were out of gas! We knew the chances of a car passing by at that time of night were pretty slim, and let me tell you, if there was ever a time we got despe
rate in prayer, it was then!
The Lord never fails, and wonder of all wonders, He brought a car along within ten minutes! We all jumped out of the bus and stood in front of it so it had to stop. -- Ha! The driver helped us get the needed gas and soon we were able to be on our way. Words cannot describe how thankful we were to walk into our Home at 1:10 a.m. knowing that we could have been freezing to death out in the middle of nowhere if it hadn't been for the Lord's protection and faithfulness
! (Editor's note: Thank You Jesus! Glad you're all safe!)
Where hitchhiking led
South Africa
(From Leyland [of Spring]:) While hitchhiking, a man who stopped to give us a ride turned out to be the main chef at a maximum security prison with 8,000 inmates. He said he was standing in the prison kitchen when a voice told him to get in his car and drive, and that he would meet somebody. He invited us to come to the prison to witness and give our testimonies. Spring and I attended and prayed wi
th over 200 of the prisoners there. Some came up afterwards and forsook their drugs right on the spot.
Carman gets witness
USA
(From Sam [of Esther, SGAs]): One of our sisters gave a Somebody Loves You tract to a man in a convertible. He drove off, but returned later asking for 20 more tracts to pass out to his friends. He said, "This is the best tract I have ever read." He then asked, "Do you know who I am?" The sister responded, "No!" (Like, "Why? Should I know you?") "I'm Carman, the Ch
ristian singer," he said. Our dear sister, being on the mission field most of her life still didn't know who Carman was. He drove off happy to have his tracts.
ideas & tips
Recruiting agency for teens
England
(From Daniel and Liberty:) We need to move to receptive fields for the sake of our teens, who we have seen grow and awaken when faced with needy situations in new countries. Justin (16) went to Albania last year with James and Elizabeth, and he is happy and fulfilled.
It would be
wonderful if we could set up some sort of recruiting agency for both DO and TS teens to help in Family aid projects in the Third World or East Bloc. This could mobilize manpower to help with Family CTP projects, and could even be made available to non-Family members. Some would make it through and join the Family full-time as they work hand in hand with us on these projects, I'm sure.
Coffee shop dream
USA
(From Paloma:) I had a dream that's gotten me thinking, as our teens and their need
for witnessing outlets has been on my heart. In my dream, the Family had opened a coffee house with all the trappings -- a real business enterprise -- completely run by our young people.
It was a small, well-decorated little coffee shop/bar with nice curtains and tables, cozy wooden furniture, home-prepared brownies, pies, sandwiches, etc. It seemed that on a rotating basis, the teens in the area came to have a chance to witness and participate in whatever capacity they could, to try their ha
nd at something challenging.
When I woke up, the image of the place kept going through my mind and I got more ideas. I thought of the name "Who Said They're Dead?" and saw posters of the departed messengers who have recently spoken to us (River Phoenix, Marilyn Monroe, Jerry Garcia, John Lennon, etc.) on the walls, with a flyer carrying the message each one gave, available to the public under each larger poster. I thought of having a large screen TV and VCR for showing videos like "Countdown t
o Armageddon," etc.
There was definitely the feeling that we were doing regular shows in the evenings, rotating Family artists from various places like we used to do in the Poorboy Clubs. It reminded me of the old times when our clubs would be packed out, and we'd perform skits and play music, and many souls and disciples were won.
It seems that our kids need hands-on responsibility and opportunities in order to get them to step out on their own faith. Here in Connecticut we are surrounded b
y some of the most outstanding universities in the country, yet we haven't scratched the surface in getting in there and winning disciples like those won back in the `60s and `70s -- the cream of the crop. Here are all these kids studying their brains out, without even knowing how close we are to the Endtime, and our kids are often bored or unfulfilled wondering if they want to stay in the Family.
It might sound far-fetched, but perhaps we could even make a little money with a well-run place l
ike this, while giving our teens the chance to run with the ball. As long as we are still here in the US or any affluent country, I don't see why we can't go on the attack against Satan's stronghold and give it our best shot.
Instead of being so drawn and sucked in by System influences, our kids could be doing some hard work, and experiencing challenging follow-up through the personal contact they get with other kids. If they could hear firsthand the problems that kids in the world have, and r
ealize how much they have to offer, our kids would see that the US and its big fancy come-on is nothing but a bluff.
My husband and I are musicians, and we sing regularly in places where people come to relax and watch a movie, or eat. For many years this has been our main form of outreach, and I have seen over and over the loneliness of the world and people's need for love and fellowship. It could be particularly fruitful if you have a place where they can find you and come back when they want
to. A place like this could offer Bible classes during the day, and organize ministries to help the poor, etc. The possibilities are limitless if the Lord is in it!
brotherhood
Japan
(From PACRO Office:) A junior teen meeting was held in Japan from November 26th till December 4th. The staff team was: Jeff (FGA/CRO), Sam and China (YAs), Jonathan (YA/VS), Marie Claire (SGA), Tender (YA), David Gypsy (FGA), Eryk (YA), Rejoice (FGA/VS), Anaik (SGA), Sam (senior teen), Jessica (YA) and Mik
e (YA).
Highlights of the meeting included entertaining and humorous skits by Jonathan, Eryk and Co. on a variety of subjects; two original Endtime classes by David Gypsy; a life-story session by the YAs/SGAs on what they were up to when they were juniors; a video-clip visualization of "My Heart Belongs to You" (showing clips depicting Jesus' crucifixion); a lively pow-wow and class on various aspects of our Home and personal standards; a never-to-be-forgotten-as-far-as-originality-goes talent
night, and two fun dance nights!
The main goals of this meeting were to answer questions, to emphasize that we are raising the standard in the Family, to show that living for the Lord can be fun, and to let the teens know that the Lord and we love them unconditionally. The teens all had a lot of fun, and many are asking to have meetings more regularly to help keep the vision and have more fellowship together.
USA
(From Meeky Bamboo and David [SGAs, of Dan and Joy Math]:) After a successf
ul Christmas push, we helped to host a three-day "vacation/fellowship" with Jasper (of Love) and Charity (of Titus) for 35 teens/YAs from the Atlanta and Florida area.
During those three days it was rainy and cold, and boy, were we thankful that the Lord had supplied several provisioned indoor activities such as bowling, WS-rated theater movies, the use of a gym and swimming pool, and provisioned meals out! -- Not to mention our united, fun, power-packed, audience-participation-style devotions
, Loving Jesus inspirations, etc.! We tied in Word-related activities with our other activities, so as not to make them something to "get over with so we can do something else." The peer pressure was very positive, and it made everyone want to enter in.
Brazil
(From Tommy and Juan:) We organized a meeting for over 60 live-out members from all over Brazil, on the topic of discipleship.
"The `Berlin Wall' has finally come down!" said one of our long-time friends, accurately reflecting the s
pirit of the meeting. Many present made the decision to tithe faithfully, give more, and dedicate themselves to the Lord more fully. Our friends were able to feel that they are true Family members and have a future as disciples in the "hottest religious movement of the century."
The first eight live-outs who participated in the 1996 Discipleship Program have graduated! (The program includes attending weekly classes, memorization, reading assignments, witnessing, etc.) As a result of their fait
hful witnessing, our Home now holds nine weekly Bible studies with 60 participating members, 28 of whom are now live-out members reporting on our Home's TRF.
Europe
(From Melody [SGA/CRO]:) From the end of September to early November, Andrew (of Mercy) and I traveled together, showing the Summit videos to the Homes in the Italy/Greece area.
tidbits
more little love bugs ...
-- Heidi (of Gideon) pregnant with #17 between them. Wow! Due in mid-January. -- Pakistan
-- Lily (18, of Gi
deon and Heidi), pregnant with her first child, due in April. -- Pakistan
-- Miles Freemont, 9th child born to Michael and Michelle on November 12th. -- Finland
-- Nicole Christine, 2nd child, 1st girl born to Aaron and Joanne (SGAs) on December 27th. -- Thailand
-- Kendra Kristine, 3.8 kgs, 3rd child born to Gary and India. -- Brazil
newborns from NACRO ...
-- Reina Melissa, born to Rosita (of Sammy and Belen) on November 10th.
-- Moriah Jordan, 3rd child, born to Comfort and Jo (S
GAs) on November 17th.
-- Jordan Daniel, born to Mercy Claire (SGA visiting from Russia) on November 18th.
-- Ana Rocio, born to Sara and Sam on November 25th.
-- Christopher, born to Angela (21, has been in the Family for almost 2 years) on December 5th.
-- Mary Fire, born to Susanne Fire and Philip on December 12th.
-- Brandon, born to Ruthie Branch (19) and Phil Newlife (22) on December 18th.
-- Donna Cindy Terah, born to Gloria and TJ on January 10th.
conferences
Indonesia
(From Rain and Rejoice:) We participated in the 16th International Federation of Non-Government Organizations (IFNGO) conference for the prevention of drug and substance abuse. We've met a lot of top people and government officials who have been very receptive to our work, as we've shared with them about our fruitful Consider the Poor ministries. Our singing group also sang two songs for the delegation when they toured the drug rehab center which we work at weekly.
As several in the Home are
fluent in English and Indonesian, and the International Drug Conference was to be held in English, we were asked to act as interpreters, as well as put together, compile and edit all the notes from the meetings into a package to be given to the delegates at the end of the conference.
Hungary
(From John and Ruby:) One of our friends, who is a member of Parliament, arranged for us to participate in a short devotions at the Hungarian Parliament, attended by 25 members and workers of Parliamen
t who get together weekly for a simple devotions. A couple of priests spoke first, and we were then introduced as The Family missionary group. Tim, Claire and Benji sang three songs to wrap up the devotions. People were visibly touched, and our friend later told us that people really liked it.
i'm wondering ...
Question:(From Betty, Czech:) We've been trying to guess what happens to our TRF after we send it in. We figure that the various categories get sent to different people for compil
ation, but it would be very interesting to hear what processing our TRFs entails.
(Editor's note: We figured others may have similar questions, so we asked one of our friends from the NACRO office if they wouldn't mind summing up in writing what goes into handling your monthly TRFs. Procedures may vary from office to office, but at least this will give you the general idea.)
Answer:(From Dawn [SGA] and Trust, at the NACRO Office:) We receive the TeleTRFs in the first week of each month. One
person opens and sends the various files to the people responsible for processing each section: stats, tithes and gifts, comments and suggestions, etc.
The paper TRFs arrive at our office during the second week of each month. Someone divides them into countries or areas, depending on the size of the country. Because we can't block and save each section as a separate file like we can with the TeleTRFs, it takes longer to process the paper TRFs, as the stats person, finance person and C&S (comm
ents and suggestions) person all have to take turns handling the same TRF, but it always works out, TTL!
One person is responsible to process the stats of the approximately 400 TRFs that we receive each month, which entails manually typing the statistics from the paper TRFs into the computer program. TeleTRFs are much simpler, since the computer can automatically tabulate the statistics from the TeleTRF files. It takes about a day for our stats person to make sure that all the TeleTRF files ar
e in the correct format, etc., and to write phone messages to the ABMs, requesting any missing files or ones that need to be resent (so it really helps if you check your file to make sure it's okay before sending it, thanks!).
Another aspect of the monthly TRF processing is updating the personnel list of every Home member, including age, marital status, etc. This information is vital, as we use this to calculate the number of publications sent to each Home.
Handling TRF finances includes che
cking the tithes and gifts that have been sent in, forwarding special or designated gifts, issuing FAF gifts to Pioneer Homes, issuing Baby Bonuses, logging in Home Loan payments, sending reminders to Homes who are delinquent on their Home Loan payments, and answering requests for new Home Loans. There are also payments for HomeARC CDs, orders for videos, and NPC fees that must be logged in and forwarded to the person(s) who will be filling the orders. Quite a job!
Our mailing address list is
updated each month, to ensure that the correct addresses are used for WS mailings, so none of the Homes miss any! New Homes are added and closed Homes are removed. This process usually takes one person a full day.
We also check on Charter requirements such as undersized or oversized Homes, Homes reporting debts for two consecutive months, that tithes and FAF gifts were sent in on time, etc. We then must inform any Homes that are being placed on Probationary Notice, and send warning notices to
Homes that are violating any Charter requirements listed on their TRF -- such as an undersized Home. We also receive replies to questionnaires, voting slips for Home Referendums and Confirmation Votes for Area Officers, etc. These polls and voting slips must be tallied and compiled.
Processing the stats and finances takes about 7 to 10 days; however, the C&Ss take a little longer. Portions, such as witnessing testimonies, miracles of supply and healing, reactions to New Wine, major problems an
d difficulties, letters to Mama or WS, and other articles that the worldwide Family might benefit from are sent to WS, and often included in Family pubs. (Editor's note: Like some articles in this Grapevine. -- Thanks, folks!)
Questions regarding clearances, Baby Bonuses, Home Loans, pubs requests, childcare and business-type questions are passed on to the office staff for answering. Some testimonies, tips or suggestions for childcare are gleaned and used for local pubs and the FED. Comments r
egarding local problems, new ministries, personal letters to CROs, questions, suggestions for improvements in the area, etc., are passed on to the CROs.
Answered prayers and prayer requests are divided into two categories: the worldwide Prayer List and the local area Prayer List.
The average size C&S file (not including stats and finance reports) that we send to WS is 324K (roughly 90 pages of text). The average size of the file sent to the CROs is 170K (roughly 50 pages). The average size o
f the file of questions that our Office staff needs to answer after a TRF processing session is about 120K (around 40 pages). Please remember that anything for WS or the CROs which we receive via paper TRF has to be typed, which takes considerably longer to process than the TeleTRF. (Hint, hint! Thanks for using the TeleTRF. We sure appreciate it!)
There are many more details involved in TRF processing, but we'll just leave you with the basic idea, ha! It takes about three weeks to finish proc
essing the TRFs -- just in time to start the next batch!
schoolingsnippets
We decided as a Home that each of us would teach the children according to the talents we have. It was difficult for only one person to teach and be with them all the time, as we are a small Home, so we felt the solution would be for all of us to participate as teachers.
Most importantly, whoever is the teacher for the day has to do their best and give the kids quality school time.
-- Adam, Christina and Angeli
ca, Russia
Due to our premature baby needing fulltime attention, Gentleness was not able to be our main teacher this school year, and since some of our children were behind scholastically, we decided to try enrolling the kids in public school.
So far, it seems to be bearing good fruit, and they have had to press in with their studies and homework, lest they get a bad grade. We don't have to get on their cases about studying, as peer pressure and their teachers do that for us, so we're able t
o spend more quality time with them reading the Word, which previously was hard for us to find time for.
-- Micaiah, Gentleness Trusting and Jessica, USA
We were burdened for our two 15-year-olds, who seemed unchallenged and were getting into trouble. We hired a Christian teacher who comes to our Home twice a week to tutor our junior teens, and this has helped greatly.
-- Miguel, Clara, Cathy and Mikol, Peru
We needed a large amount of funds to buy a new computer for our children and CLE b
ooks for the school year. We wrote a friend who is the director of a private hospital, asking him to help sponsor these items, which came out to a very large sum of money!
He immediately said, "Fine! I can help you with it! My mother loves you and reads everything you give her! Can I donate the amount you need in two checks, one now and one later?" We almost fell off our chairs! God help our lack of faith! Through this dear friend, the Lord supplied our kids' educational needs for the entire s
chool year.
We clearly see that the Lord is behind the CLE and this kind of Godly education. He has supplied beautifully, and we are thankful for the opportunity to lead and guide our children through a Godly educational curriculum.
-- Paul, Esther, Andrew and Anna, Thailand
I have always been sold on home-schooling, so it was a big battle to face the fact that my children's needs were not being met, and after five years they still hadn't learned the local language.
The Lord brought to ou
r attention a private Christian school that had managed to get approved by the System, albeit with persecution. It is free, providing you accept that they are Christians. They start the day with devotions, singing and prayer.
I now have more time with my children than before. Because of the language, when they come home they need me full-time to help them with their schoolwork (which is all in Norwegian). It demands a lot more from me, as now I have to finish all housework, shopping, laundry a
nd dinner before they come home, in order to be able to help them.
I believe that no matter what they get exposed to outside, if they get a good Christian sample, standard, upbringing, care, attention, love and answers to their questions at home, this is what will determine their outcome.
--Tabitha (of Chris), Norway
So far our kids are doing well in public school, and they are their teachers' favorite students. Annie (13) is a counselor's helper in junior high. Sometimes when the counselor
is busy and problems come up with the students, Annie has to handle the situation. She said it's a hard job, and sometimes she has to leave her classes to settle the problem, but at the same time, she loves it because she can witness to the other students.
-- Zion and Grace Mountain (TS), USA
Our Home's major problem was that we didn't have someone who liked to be with the kids full-time, so we would rotate. This makes it difficult to follow a schedule or curriculum, so the kids end up doin
g the same things over, or worse yet, end up in front of the TV.
For the last two weeks we freed the mother of our Home's children from her other ministries so she could tune in to the kids.
Even though it was hard initially, it has borne good fruit. -- The kids are happy, their scholastics are being taken care of, and they are progressing in their spiritual lives. Though perhaps some other ministries are being neglected, we are learning that the kids are a priority in our lives.
-- Silvia
Labours (25), Hungary
The high school that our older children attend has come out with several things on the occult and witchcraft in their school books.
Our oldest (16) came home with a stack of papers called "Theme Fear." He was having to study about Dracula, vampires, people with special powers, split personalities, etc. We were shocked! Our daughters' first Dutch classes were also all about witches. We are watching with pain how school is taking so much of the children, with them being a
t school from 8:15 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. We are desperate to get our kids out of the schools and teach them again.
-- Andrew and Faith (TS), Holland
We put our five kids in public schools last year, when we found ourselves short on personnel for home schooling in a small Home.
While there are negative effects and obvious pitfalls to System schooling, and home-schooling is still the ideal, I feel there is something to be said for putting our kids in public schools in nice areas where the schools
are safe and clean.
Before making this decision, I spoke with the principal several times about the school, evolution, discipline, etc. Prior to our children attending public schools, they had reached the point where they no longer appreciated home-schooling and took it for granted. The System makes them work so hard that now they appreciate how "easy" they had it before, and look forward to going to the field and being home-schooled again.
-- Steven (of Katrina), USA
While trying to find
an educational program for my 16-year-old daughter who has left the Family, I had an interesting conversation with a man who runs a private Baptist school, four regular schools and a "home-based" program in the States. He was very positive about home-schooled kids, saying they're brighter, know more, think better and learn faster than kids who attend public or private schools.
He explained that home-schooled children inevitably have "knowledge gaps," due to constant changes in the home environ
ment, moving, family emergencies, or in our case, travel, different priorities, adjusting to new situations, etc. Because of this, when the home-schooled student enters a regular school, it takes three to six months for the student to catch up to his/her level.
But if the student applies him/herself, within three to six months he/she passes the other students and shoots on ahead, never again to be passed up by others.
Statistics indicate that those studying or learning at home learn four tim
es as much per time unit as those in a pubic school.
-- Jonathan and Amor, China
letters to theeditor
In issue #7 of the Grapevine there was a comment about how many teens and YAs are dead weight in the Family (article titled, "Have You Been Persecuted?"). When I read this comment I almost cried. It's so sad that some adults actually think that the teens and YAs in the Family are just hanging around for nothing. If I didn't want to be here, I wouldn't be!
I am not ashamed to stand up
for the Family and what we believe; in fact, I can't wait till we get the new booklets for distribution! I don't think it is fair to say that "our teens and young adults don't seem to know what they're here for." I don't know about others, but I sure know what I am here for! Granted, there are young people in the Family who aren't here with their whole hearts, just as there are adults who aren't here with their whole hearts.
It's discouraging when you are trying your best to stay on track and
close to the Lord, following the Loving Jesus series to the best of your ability, and then all you hear from the adults is what they don't like about young people -- music, movies, "worldliness," and desire for love, friendship and fellowship with others our age. It makes you feel like they don't really appreciate the fact that many of us have forsaken much and have gone through a lot for the Lord and the Family.
Just because there are some young people in your Home who seem like they are "out
of it" doesn't mean they are dead weight. For God's sake, we're a Family! Maybe the Lord is expecting you to help this person through a rough time in their life. Someone did that with me, and as a result I am still here. Us young people are going through a crash course; having to learn all that the adults have learned during the past 20 years, in five years or less. So please try to have a little understanding and mercy, and remember what you enjoyed when you were young people -- and you can al
ways pray!
-- A disheartened teen (female, 17), ASCRO
God bless Tim (SGA) for bringing up that idea of adopting "sister Homes" (See Grapevine #7, "Sister Homes"). When he said that some Homes in more affluent countries could raise their weekly support in just three days, I nearly died!
For some of us who are pioneering, fundraising is a 25-hour-a-day, 8-day-a-week business. The harvest is so plenteous and there are so many open doors that we find ourselves stretched to the limit trying to
find ways to do everything at once. If we could count on some extra support (however small it may be) from a charitable Home across the globe, we guarantee that you would be making a difference. Yeslamu edeiku (May God bless your hands).
-- Mary (YA), Middle East
I wanted to say a big "amen" to the comment on "Pregnancy and Marriage" from Rachel in Grapevine #4. For me it goes way back to the days of FFing and sharing, as those freedoms were many times abused and many were hurt as a result.
In the same respect, I'm now seeing some of the same irresponsibility in our young people's relationships.
To see quite a few of our young mothers with no father around makes me wonder what's going on.
I've heard that some have shared with "lonely single guys" to help them in their need, which sounds commendable, but what happens when a child results? Did the child have any "say-so" in the decision on whether he or she gets a daddy or not?
I thought it was ironic that right next to this ar
ticle was the comment about people being on welfare and how it can be a bad testimony to outsiders. I wonder how people who we're trying to win and be a good Christian sample to look at these young mothers with no father around?
-- S. (TS), USA
rumor mill
Question: There's been a rumor going around that Solomon Touchstone (drummer) has left the DO Family. Is this true?
-- Curious in the USA
Answer:(From PACRO Office:) Solomon Touchstone (now Francis Drummer) went TS about six months
ago. He lives in Tokyo, where he is the drummer for a band that performs in night clubs around Japan. He is in fellowship with the DO Family and from what we've heard, still helps with various Family projects from time to time, such as shows that some of the Homes do, and recordings for Family tapes, God bless him!
find a friend
-- Nat (a.k.a. David, Nohah, Roberto) looking for old friends from the US, Canada, Puerto Rico, Europe, Singapore, WS. Add: Box 165, St. Petersburg 191123, Russia
. E-mail: family@thefamily.spb.su.
-- Looking for François Dick ("Jason"?) Please write Christine (Dick) Lumbroso. Add: 11918 S.E. Division #319, Portland, Oregon 97266.
-- Matthew (Canada) and Chilean Ester. Friends, drop us a line. E-mail: rossopazo@vir.com.
-- Job is looking for Crys and Nap, Andrew Sample. E-mail: r7clowns@ms5.hinet.net.
send it in!
The Grapevine
PO Box 4938
Orange, CA 92863
USA
e-mail: grape@ibm.net
shine on ...
TEAMWORK PER ADULT TOTAL
SOUL SHIN
ERS FOR DECEMBER, `96
John Malachi/Erick Red/Esther Red (DO), USA 2,537 10,150
Daniel/Zacarias/Cielo (DO), Colombia 2,193 13,160
Jonathan/Tamara (DO), India 2,000 6,000
Cefas/Anita/Gabriel/Benedicion (DO), Mexico 1,975 9,876
Mark/Faithy (DO), India 1,767 8,834
Lalo Fiel/Ruth Fiel (DO), Mexico 1,500 7,500
Pablo/Love (DO), Ecuador 1,335 2,670
Delhi Deaf Ministry Home (DO), India 1,106 6,638
Sunshine F/Pedro A/Magdalena A. (DO), Mexico 1,000 11,000
Madras Home (DO), India 640 3,
198
POSTER SHINERS FOR DECEMBER, `96
John Malachi/Erick Red/Esther Red (DO), USA 5,287 21,150
Jeremias/Glory/Brook/Abigail (DO), Brazil 4,020 28,145
Marie Smith (TS), South Africa 2,700 2,700
Daniel Blessing/Ruth Blessing (DO), USA 2,690 5,380
Francis Davidson (TS), United Kingdom 2,100 2,100
Dust/Diamond/Tim (DO), Moldava 1,685 11,800
Shiloh/Steven Lion/Phil/Katrina (DO), USA 1,584 17,433
David/Sara/Sophie/Rose (DO), Slovakia 1,524 12,193
Nat/Esther/Ben/Tirzah (DO), South
Africa 1,503 15,039
Samuel E/Sara Victor/Cherish D (DO), Mexico 1,502 13,525
TAPE SHINERS FOR DECEMBER, `96
Pablo E. (TS), Chile 406 406
Josue Miguel/Abigail/Justin G (DO), Costa Rica 395 1,580
Tim/Rut (DO), Chile 308 925
Ben Q/Eva M/Steve/Renee/Harmony (DO), USA 278 5,021
Pedro F/Maria F (DO), USA 200 400
Tim/Vicky/Rebecca/David (DO), Chile 182 730
Barz/Sara (DO), Portugal 169 338
David/Heidi/Steve (DO), Czech Republic 167 1,002
Victor B/Love/Luz do Amor (DO), USA 149 74
9
Phil E/Claire B/Charity/Julie H (DO), USA 139 975
VIDEO SHINERS FOR DECEMBER, `96
CTO (DO), Taiwan 76 305
Marcos/Faith/Jessica (DO), Ecuador 66 398
David Esperanza/Jose David (DO), Peru 55 440
Jimmy/Joy (DO), Taiwan 55 110
Jan/Eva (DO), Russia 45 90
Nat/Esther/Ben/Tirzah (DO), South Africa 40 408
Victor (TS), Italy 39 39
Jonathan/Priscila/Tamara (DO), Brazil 37 188
Bart/Mercy/Daniel (DO), Venezuela 34 209
Emanuel/David/Consuelo (DO), Ecuador 33 236
Copyright (c
) 1998 by The Family