—By MariaDO 30493/96

Maria #330

Angel testimony1

Impressions from a WS worker's visit to the field1

FTT update!2

The making of an FTT!7

WS personnel and tithing8

Finances and sharing the know!11

Invest in the work of God!14

Progress on the books!15

Please pray for finances!16

Pioneering new methods to get out the Word!16

Why we can't resume FFing16

Update on Mama's eyes19

Multi-colored stepping stones prophecy22

Dear Family,

1. I love you! We're living in exciting days, aren't we? Isn't it thrilling to see the wonderful miracles the Lord does daily to supply our needs, and lead, guide and protect us?! He is so good to us! Here's a short, very exciting testimony of the Lord's protection that was sent to us recently:

2. "A little while ago we were witnessing in a small town. It was getting late at night, so we paused to pray for protection as we waited for the bus that would take us home. We were waiting in a very dangerous part of town where there were a lot of bars, etc. When the bus came, as we got on, the driver asked us where the third person was that had been standing with us. We said that there wasn't another person with us, but he insisted that he saw another man with us, who was carrying a briefcase just like we were. The bus driver waited for about ten minutes to see if the 'other person' was coming, all the time checking in his rear view mirror. By this time we realized that the Lord had done something truly supernatural. We then witnessed to him and explained how we had prayed for protection and that it was an angel that the Lord had sent. It was thrilling to see how the Lord protects us!"

(Mama:) Isn't that a wonderful testimony? Thank God for His angels and spirit helpers! When you pray‚ the Lord answers!

3. I also want to share with you some very inspiring observations from one of our WS workers who recently had the opportunity to visit several Homes after many years of faithful work behind the scenes. This person was not traveling in a leadership capacity, but in the course of visiting his teen sons and taking care of personal business, he was able to see various Homes in Europe, Russia and the U.S. His comments so beautifully portray what a wonderful bunch you are, dear Family. I hope this encourages you that in spite of our weaknesses and NWOs and the things we need to constantly be learning and improving in, we are still accomplishing a tremendous work for the Lord! Please keep it up!

4. "It was wonderful to visit our faithful, sweet, wonderful Family. Going to a Home in Russia was fabulous; no other words can describe it. The Home had such a precious collection of brethren from Russia and the other republics, and some from Europe. There were YAs, three adults, and a handful of children, all living in such harmony and unity and power, by the Spirit; all were giving their all, and witnessing so beautifully and faithfully. There was a real glory to behold‚ and it did my soul a lot of good to see such a hungry, receptive field being reached by such dedicated, pure hearts.

5. "Materially and physically, life in Russia is tough—tough on your health, tough just to survive. The brethren there are living out on a limb, by faith. But the Lord is there, His Spirit and blessing are there, and I sure saw His life burning within each of our brethren there in such a variety of beautiful ways. The shepherds in the Russian Home I visited are such broken and humble people, so sweet and wise, and just the sort of 'mature glue' needed to hold together all the others. The young Polish and Russian disciples have so much fire and sweetness and cleanness of Spirit. They are so precious, with hearts geared to pour out and witness and lead folks to the Lord.

6. "I can't think of any place I would rather have my son than in a field such as Russia and a Home such as that. I am so grateful for the opportunity to make that trip and see him. The Lord has certainly fulfilled all the desires of my heart in how he has grown up to be such a sweet, tender‚ sacrificial young man. The Lord has answered my prayer by having him grow up on the field and have the kind of life he has. (It was a real big blessing to see my younger son too, which was wonderful as well. He too is a precious young man who is growing into quite a soldier for Jesus!)

7. "We saw the hardships of Eastern Europe, and it made me want to do whatever is necessary or be a part of anything that can make their lives easier. I want to help them feed the sheep of their field better, and ease their load in any way, or supply them with what they need to do their job better.

8. "Seeing some Homes in England (both DO and TS) also helped me to see how people are faring in this new day in the Family. When the Charter first came out, I didn't realize the huge impact that it was going to have, but I now see that it sure has freed a lot of people to find their callings, and to find a pace and style of life where they are free to love the Lord in their own special, precious way, without the hustle and bustle of a big Home. Now our Family members are free to be themselves and operate at their own pace‚ and love the Lord in their own way, which was beautiful to see. It was thrilling to see the quality of our teens and young adults when I visited Homes in France and England.

9. "I was really impressed with the Homes in the States, too. Did you know, Mama, that there is a Home in the U.S. of two couples and quite a few teens, and they are training their little children every morning in Chinese language, geography and social studies, along with their other schooling? They are virtually raising a whole flock of about 10 kids to go to China. Two of these Home members are flying to China on a scouting mission in just a couple of weeks, to be a spearhead for some of the others.

10. "Also, it was very inspiring to see the quality of the brethren who are in the States, who have been former NASs or pioneers all over the world. Now the Lord has brought them to the U.S. where they are spearheading beautiful 'consider the poor' ministries and outreaches, and it is exciting to see what the Lord is doing with them all.

11. "It has done me a lot of good to see these precious hearts in action on the field, and to see once again that the Family is made up of the sweetest‚ most precious, most dedicated, most broken and humble missionaries there are in the whole world! I have to take my hat off to them. Praise the Lord!"

12. (Mama:) Yes, my dear Family‚ I take my hat off to you too! I'm so proud of you! The Lord has done great things for us, and it's just the beginning—the best is yet to come! We're revving up now for the grand finale, so don't miss it! Praise the Lord!

FTT Update!

13. I hope you're enjoying the new Family Teen Tapes (FTTs). For your information, the first two FTTs‚ "Hearts Aflame" and "Flying High," consisted entirely of songs that were written and recorded quite some time before the GN "New Music for a New Day" came out, as we had a stockpile of already-recorded material to draw from. Then in compiling FTT #3, "Hot or Cold," although most of the songs were written before "New Music for a New Day‚" many of the songs were recorded, or further worked on musically‚ after the studios received Peter's letter about the need for new teen music, which was published in the "New Music for a New Day" GN. The studios are now beginning to receive more songs from you young people, and we pray you will be happy with the varied and more contemporary styles of music that they are beginning to produce. Praise the Lord! Peter was recently traveling, during which time he was able to hear some of the newest teen music that's presently in the works, and he wrote me the following:

14. "We've received quite a bit of new music from the studios. It is very good. A lot of it is very'90s in style, and I think the teens will really like it. Some of the older songs, songs which were recorded quite a long time ago but which haven't yet been released, are in a bit older style‚ but a lot of the new stuff is very contemporary. Some of it is a little wild. There is some rap, there is some hard rock, but the words are good. I think our kids are going to be very surprised!

15. "It seems that FTT 3, 'Hot or Cold,' is sort of a watershed tape. It has some of the older styles on it, but it has some of the newer styles too, and from what I understand‚ the kids are saying, 'Oh, WS may be able to pull it off after all!' I think as we continue with FTT 4‚ 5 and 6, etc., the tapes may come out even better, with the kind of music that the young people want‚ musically very much along the lines of modern music, but with a more revolutionary, Word-based message. Praise the Lord!"

16. (Mama:) That's good news, isn't it‚ kids?! Peter and I sincerely hope and pray that the new FTTs that are coming out, along with those you've already received, will be to your liking and will fill your need for new music. We still hear some complaints that all of the music isn't to certain people's liking, and we're sorry about that, but we're even more sorry for our dear musicians. The situation is a little bit like the story of the man‚ the boy and the donkey; it's just impossible to please everybody. One of our dear, long-time, faithful studio musicians recently wrote the following reaction:

17. "Because Mama and Peter have made it a top priority to get more music to the young people, in the styles they prefer‚ and have given the studios the job and responsibility (as well as greater leeway) to do it, it's been all hands on deck as far as writing, composing, recording, auditioning, mixing and getting out as much material as we can that our whole team feels meets the criterion. (By the way, 70% of the members of our studio team are YAs.)

18. "The first material sent out to get the new FTT vision rolling was 'Power Tower' and 'Hearts Aflame.’ Some of the songs which had been recorded earlier got a fresh mix to push the drums, bass and youthful sounds further to the front, etc. Basically everyone is working at a very advanced pace to give the Family teens and YAs what they desire, and we are praying and planning about how to do it better with the new material that's starting to come in now.

19. "But some folks have been quite unappreciative, which is very discouraging. Instead of a 'Thank you, dear studios‚ for pushing to realize this new vision. We're praying for you and writing the new songs!'—We get this less-than-understanding reaction, 'Can't we have some other singers? We're tired of these!' We have been putting the YA voices in the forefront for some time and are committed, with the Lord's help, to getting new, younger voices on the FTTs. We understand the need for variety in the singers. We are working toward making this possible. We have prayer for this frequently, and consider it at the top of the studio's needs to fulfill the FTT vision."

20. (Mama:) As you can see, kids, the studios are really pressing in and doing the best they can. They're working very hard for you, so I hope you'll be appreciative and pray for them. While some of you are just complaining and may never be satisfied with what our studios put out‚ we don't think that most of you have meant to sound ungrateful. It's probably because you didn't understand the difficulties involved. Maybe it will help you if I explain a few more points concerning the FTTs.

21. To begin with, you can't expect to like every single song on every tape, but this doesn't mean that there's anything wrong with the tape. We have seen by the many differing reactions that we've received that there is a huge variety in music tastes. You've probably noticed that yourselves. Haven't you ever been listening to music with your friends and someone commented on their favorite song, which happened to be your least favorite? We've gotten letters from some people who shared their opinion that a certain tape really wasn't very good at all, and at the same time we've gotten letters from others saying that the same tape was the best they'd ever heard! So what are we to do?

22. Every person is different, with different tastes. Every songwriter is different and writes different kinds of songs. That must be the Lord's way of supplying lots of good variety, so there will be something for everyone! But if there is a song on a tape that you don't particularly care for, don't worry about it! You don't have to listen to it. But please try to be as positive as possible and thank the Lord for the songs you do like. And remember, if you want a song with a certain style, or on a specific subject, pray and ask the Lord to help you to write one. I'll share another portion from a message that one of our studio musicians wrote me recently on the subject of different tastes in music:

23. "While preparing the 'Hot or Cold' (FTT #3) tape, we passed out a rating form for each of the songs on the tape, so the young people could rate each song as they listened to it. We do this so that we can make sure we are hitting the mark and not putting songs on the tape that none of the young people will go for. We are finding that among the young people there is just as much variety of tastes as there is amongst the whole body. In other words, the young people themselves are quite varied in their tastes, and not everybody likes exactly the same stuff. Three songs on the tape were liked by everyone, and the rest of the songs varied in the approval ratings. There weren't any songs on the tape that most of the young people didn't like, so we left all the songs on the tape as planned.

24. "Before I joined the Family‚ I remember experiencing that when you bought a System album by any group, unless it was one of compiled hits, you would usually get about four good songs and the rest would range from mediocre to not-so-good, and I would say we do better than that! Compared to that standard‚ I'd say this tape that we auditioned did a lot better than any System album would, as each of the songs on this tape were rated good by some. Our young people [here at least] are a lot more difficult to please than the oldsters or the younger kids, but anyway, I think we've got a pretty good tape for them.

25. "There will undoubtedly be those who are not going to be head-over-heels flipped over this tape, as some of our more 'hard core' music critics may not be that impressed. But then again, maybe they never will be! Those particular kids are not easy to please. But I think most of the young people will be happy when they hear what we're doing and will just get happier as the new tapes come out.

26. "At this time in our history it seems that some of our young people are sort of sitting back waiting and saying, 'Dazzle us!' Some of what we have produced here lately has been appealing and has dazzled them, thank the Lord‚ and glory to His Name and His Spirit! Different people have expressed their satisfaction with it, so hopefully it'll have the same appeal elsewhere."

27. (Mama:) Well, kids, if you want to be dazzled, please pray down some dazzling songs! We're very thankful for all of you who are praying for, receiving, and writing new songs‚ and then sending them in to the studios. It's a blessing to the studios to have songs to choose from when it's time for them to record. Of course, not all of the songs that are sent in can be used right away, if at all. But we appreciate very much that you're working hard to receive songs and taking the time to send them in. There has been a noticeable improvement since we sent out the Letter in GN 669 pleading for more songs. (ML #3039, "Teen Music!—What Are You Doing About It!") Please keep it up!

28. I also want to encourage you adult songwriters to send in your songs. Some of the very good songs we've received have been from adults, so I know some of you have really got what it takes to write songs for the younger generation. Don't hide your talents! Stir up your gifts! We need you! Let's all enjoy the songs the Lord wants to give you!

29. And here are some interesting testimonies about how the Lord can inspire you with words for songs if you look to Him and tune in to His whispers. The words you receive may not be perfect. You may need to change them around a bit to fit your tune‚ but they'll at least serve as the basis of your song. One of our Homes recently sent in the following testimony:

30. "Dear Mama, We wanted to write this short testimony to go along with what you wrote in the GN 'Three Gifts of the Lord's Love,' encouraging everyone to pray and ask the Lord for new songs. The other day (before we received that GN!) we were lying down to nap after a particularly long day. Just as James lay down he started hearing these words, like poetry, which came just as you would get a prophecy!

31. "So he jumped up and went to the computer and started typing. The words were just flowing and he wasn't even thinking about them, just writing it down as it came. Now it's the words to a new song about our 'consider the poor' ministry! It is a challenging song inspired by the Word, and we sure believe it's from the Lord! He felt like there was someone there whispering the words to him as he was typing; it was an incredible experience!

32. "Then we received the GN, and it was such a confirmation, especially where you said we should ask the musicians of old to pour forth unto us new songs! Wow, that seems to be what happened, and we are praying for it to happen many more times!"

33. (Mama:) One of our Arab sisters wrote the following testimony:

34. "I've had a burden for songs in Arabic, but I'm not a songwriter or musician. But the Lord has done a special thing in giving us a song in Arabic, and I give all the glory to Jesus and to your sample, Mama, of encouraging and instructing us to tune in and hear His whispers.

35. "One day we were at a conservatory, and the brother I was with noticed a grand piano and wanted to play it before we went home. So I stood there while he was playing a tune that was unfamiliar to me. (I found out later it was a new melody he had gotten previously.) All of a sudden‚ I started feeling an ache in my heart, and words in Arabic and pictures kept flooding my mind. The pictures were of many Arab children dressed in white, smiling and cheering, watching a parade, waiting to see Jesus. It looked somewhat like a presidential procession‚ but of course more beautiful. The children were saying, 'It's wonderful, we've beheld Him!' But the pictures in the beginning were sad as they depicted Iraq.

36. "At first I thought it was my imagination, since I'm very conscious of the Arab world's events because of my upbringing. But when the brother was done playing the piano, something kept telling me to let him know about the words I had been receiving. I did so, because you told us about doing the humbling thing, which this was, as I didn't know this brother so well and I was concerned about his reaction.

37. "But when I shared what happened, he asked me right away to write down the words and whatever I got from the pictures. This brother was only going to be in town for four days‚ but in our spare time we worked on the song. He didn't know Arabic and I didn't know a thing about fitting words to music, but the Lord did it, and the song was completed one hour before his departure. This remains a thrilling experience in my heart and a point of reference to help me learn to tune in, not just for the purpose of getting songs, but for what the Lord wants to do in my everyday life. Praise the Lord!"

38. (Mama:) When two second–generation adults got a burden to ask the Lord for a "Loving Jesus" song, they had a wonderful experience. Here's their story, as told by one of them:

39. "I want to share the testimony of how we wrote a 'Loving Jesus' song, because I think it will be an encouragement to others and the Lord will get the glory for the miracle. I was very excited about getting a song when we first prayed about it. My co–worker R. and I worked on the words and pretty much finished them, except for a chorus. I had a little piece of a melody that I had written a while back and we went over and over it, trying to get it to fit the words, but it just didn't flow. We decided we needed a totally new melody, so we left it at that. I have to say that if it hadn't been for R.'s faith, I think it would have just stayed there, but she kept pushing for a time for us to get together to continue working on the song. Eventually we did, and here's what happened.

40. "We started out with good prayer, speaking in tongues, etc., and we prayed specifically for a song that would help people to love Jesus when they'd sing it. We prayed specifically for a worship song that the Lord would like to hear us sing to Him. We also prayed for the words to the chorus which we didn't have yet. We got quiet, and almost immediately the words for the chorus came‚ and we wrote them down. Then we had to start on the melody, and as soon as I played the first chord on the guitar, the whole melody flowed perfectly and smoothly. I looked at R. in such awe‚ as we were both amazed, because it was like a prophecy!

41. "I told her that I heard a voice singing this song, and she responded‚ 'So did I!' We each went on to describe what we had heard, and we had heard the very same thing! It was a gorgeous female voice and she was singing beautifully with lots of feeling, almost like a whisper, yet at the same time it was a full voice. It's hard to describe it! There was very little music in the background and it was all very airy and beautiful! We were thrilled and chilled all over! It was quite an experience! After that, we worked on the chorus some more, and soon the whole song was done.

42. "It sure encouraged my faith, because neither of us are songwriters, and though we can sing, we're not that musically inclined! In fact, when we prayed before beginning to work on the song, I was feeling like, 'What are we going to come up with? We're not musicians! And to write a hit can be a big project, certainly bigger than us!' So when we prayed, we asked the Lord that we wouldn't feel pressured, and that He would give us the song that He wanted us to use to love Him. When we put God on the spot, He came through and gave us exactly what we asked for!

43. "I believe that there are a lot of other songs up There that are waiting to be sent; we just have to get desperate and seek the Lord! (See ML #3022‚ GN 658.) And obviously it doesn't matter who it is, because all you have to be is a channel. It gives me a lot more faith for more music. I'm sure glad I tried! TYJ!

44. "I learned a good lesson through this experience. Many times we take on big projects without desperately seeking the Lord. He's promised so much, but we often fail to do our part to bring to pass the fulfillment of those promises. We don't get as desperate as we should, we're not as definite in prayer or as specific with Him as we should be. Or if we do pray about it‚ we then sort of carry on with the attitude of, 'Well, the Lord's in control. He'll give us the songs if and when He wants to. We don't have to worry about it!' That's true, in a sense, but we often fail on the 'works' part, without which our faith is dead! And then many times we wonder why we weren't a success, or why it seems the Lord failed! He didn't fail, it's just that we didn't keep our part of the deal.

45. "I was so impressed with how, when we were determined to get the song and we prayed it down with desperation, doing all that we could to fulfill our part of the bargain, that's what got results! Praise the Lord!"

46. (Mama:) After you've sent your song in‚ if you get impatient waiting to find out if your song has been chosen to be recorded on an FTT, please understand that our studios have to plan their recordings way in advance in order to meet their FTT deadlines. Today they may be recording a song that won't be released on an FTT for a couple of months. So even if your song is an absolute hit‚ it will take a while before it actually comes out on a tape.

The Making of an FTT!

47. Would you like to know a little more about what goes into getting an FTT to you? You might be surprised to learn of all that's involved, even though we have tried to streamline the production procedure as much as possible. When your song arrives at the studio, amongst their many other duties, the musicians listen to your tape and prayerfully check the words and the tune. If they feel it has potential for an FTT, they send the words to our WS music council, who go over the words to make sure they are doctrinally correct‚ clear, and contain a message that we want to give to the whole Family. Peter and I then get the words, and giving these songs top priority, we go over them as a final check, then give the OK for them to be recorded. The studios then schedule them for recording.

48. Any changes made by us or by the music committees are only made to improve the rhyme or clarity, or to ensure doctrinal correctness. We also try to make sure the lines make sense, as there's no use wasting precious space in a song with lines that no one will understand the meaning of. We make a conscious effort to not change the style of the song or your individual way of expressing yourself. We do not try to make your songs conform to the way we would do them if we were writing the songs. Once the words are approved, the studio is informed and the song is slotted into the recording schedule.

49. Depending on the song and the studio, it can take from four to 12 days to record the song. The musicians have to pray about and discuss the arrangement of the music, the instrumentation, the style, etc. They also need to decide who should sing it and the style of vocals needed. On top of that, they have to work out any necessary vocal harmonies. Then the musicians, the lead singers and the back-up singers need to learn their parts. Then comes the hard work of actually recording the song—first the music, then the vocals. After this comes the difficult task of adding overdubs, the other instruments and sounds. Finally, the song is mixed. For the sake of some of you who may not be familiar with studio terms, mixing is when the different vocals and instruments are balanced so that none are too loud or too soft. This is a very time-consuming job as well. Only then is the song ready to be included on a tape.

50. When all the songs are recorded and selected for the FTT, the decision is made on what order the songs should be placed on the tape‚ making sure that both sides of the tape are about equal in length. The tape is then mastered, and this master is duplicated and sent to all of the CROs worldwide. They use this master to produce the individual tapes which you receive. But before you receive them‚ someone has to dupe the tapes‚ design and print labels, put the labels on them, buy tape envelopes, address them, stuff the envelopes with tapes‚ apply the postage and mail them. All of that is a big process!

51. Besides all of the time it takes to go through the steps I just described, it also costs approximately $5,000 to send out one FTT to the Family. That does not include the recording costs, the studio costs, or any other related costs. That is just the cost of the duped cassettes and the postage. So because of the tremendous amount of work involved and the expense, our studios can only afford to record the songs that are considered the very best. This means that not every song that's sent in can be recorded. On the other hand, this doesn't necessarily mean those songs that do not get final recorded are all poor songs and should be totally ignored. The composers of those songs are still free to sing them in their own local situations. It's just that when investing manpower, money and time into WS worldwide audio productions, we need to choose the very best, the top quality songs. So if yours isn't recorded, please don't be discouraged. Get desperate with the Lord. Read "New Music for a New Day" (GN 658) and have faith to persevere. Even if the Lord has gifted you in songwriting‚ it still takes a lot of prayer, work, time, and even practice to learn to write good hit songs. Please keep trying!

52. Also, if you do send in a song that is included on an FTT, we hope you won't get offended if some of the words are changed. We don't change them unless there is a very good reason, and usually it's a choice between changing some words and recording the song, or not changing some words and not recording the song at all. So if the words to your song have a few changes‚ consider it a compliment and please look on the bright side, that it was able to be recorded and is being used as an inspiration for the whole worldwide Family.

53. I know that most of you who send a song to the studio would like to hear back as to whether the song will be recorded or not. We would like to do that, but I'm afraid we're not going to be able to. Let me explain. As I pointed out above, our studios have an incredible amount of work to do if they are going to produce FTTs on a regular basis. If they have to take time to acknowledge by mail each song which is sent to them‚ it will take away from their studio work and will slow down their production. If they have to get extra personnel to handle the job of responding to all of the songwriters, it means that producing these tapes would cost even more. So‚ if we are going to be able to get this music out to you quickly, and as cheaply as possible, we will be unable to write each musician who sends in a song. We're sorry, but please try to understand.

54. After hearing all that our dear studios do to record music and get it to you, we hope you will keep them in your prayers, and that you will have a greater appreciation for the wonderful job they are doing.

55. On a final note, we have heard that a few Homes have either not yet received or only just recently received copies of the first two FTTs, "Hearts Aflame" and "Flying High." If you're one of those Homes, we'd like to apologize for the delay in those two tapes reaching you. It appears that in at least one area there was a delay with the masters reaching the Service Center which dupes the tapes for the Homes. In another country the delay was due to the very busy schedule of the System duping contact that is used by the Service Center to dupe the tapes. We're trying to find ways to minimize any delays and make sure you get these tapes as quickly as possible. But this is all very dependent on your prayers, so please keep praying against any snags or mail delays, damaged masters, etc., and for the dear brethren in our Service Centers who work so hard to dupe and ship the tapes to you. God bless them!

WS Personnel and Tithing

56. It seems that a number of you have a rather distorted picture of WS and its personnel. This may come largely from the fact that‚ because these folks have to stay behind the scenes and you don't get to see them and fellowship with them‚ they are somewhat of an unknown factor. It's very easy to get the wrong idea or perception about things you don't understand. We take the blame for this‚ because in recent years we have not published much about what life is like in WS, nor many testimonies and reactions from those who live behind the scenes. We hope to publish an FSM on this subject in the near future, Lord willing.

57. In any case‚ it seems the impression that many of you have is that WS is staffed by a bunch of fuddy-duddy, stick–in-the-mud, old–bottle nerds who have no concept of life on the field! Or you seem to feel that those in WS have somehow attained sainthood in that they don't have personal problems, they are ultra-talented in everything, and that no one on the field could possibly attain to their level of spirituality.—Ha!

58. When those in WS hear these descriptions of themselves, they have a real belly bumper laugh about it! I want to officially announce that those in WS do not fit the above description at all! WS members are normal Family members who happen to be gifted in certain ministries such as writing, editing, typing, computers, layout, art, business, stats work, printing‚ cooking, teaching, childcare, handyman, shopping‚ etc. Many have similar gifts to yours, or to those in your Home. In fact, almost all of our WS personnel originally came from Homes much like yours. Many of them are probably no more gifted than you on the field, but they have particular qualities that make them suited and happy doing behind-the-scenes work‚ as well as feeling called to this sacrificial ministry.

59. For most WS members it is a sacrifice to stay behind the scenes like they do. They would love to be able to go out personal witnessing, postering, tapenessing, and distributing videos. They'd love to go to the exciting fields of the world‚ to interact with more Family members, to have the freedom to get out from behind their desks and computers and burn free, telling others about Jesus. Some of them have to be apart from their children‚ whom they'd love to be with. Instead, they stay at their desks, their computers, their printing presses, or whatever their job is, to serve you. They do it out of love—love for you, the Lord, and the lost. They sacrifice their personal freedom and personal desires to serve the Lord and you through their behind-the–scenes ministries.

60. The work they do can at times be very tedious and difficult. Every publication, every tape, every video, every outreach tool, whether for adults, teens or children, is all worked on in some form or another by WS personnel. They give their lives for you because they love you dearly.

61. I have heard some comments that WS members have it easy because they have financial support, whereas the field Homes struggle financially. WS Homes do get a regular monthly budget, which is made possible by your tithe. In this sense they do have a certain financial stability which many other Homes lack. But in order for those in WS to devote their full time to producing the pubs for you, they have to be freed from spending time in fund-raising efforts. If they didn't have a regular budget, but instead had to spend time raising support‚ they would not be able to produce the material they do to feed the Family. Even with their budget, they live simply and frugally, as many newcomers to WS have remarked. (See Hope 62, "The Simple Life," and "Frugality in WS.")

62. It's important to remember that it's because of these WS workers that you receive your mailings or your WS-produced tools. If it weren't for them, there would be no more GNs, FSMs, HOPEs, KIDZ or any other pubs. There would be no new tapes or videos, no more tracts or other outreach tools, no more childcare material, etc. The precious people of WS are the ones who do the work to process or produce these tools.

63. Because you are faithful to give your monthly tithe and offerings to the Lord, He in turn blesses you with a great deal in the way of New Wine, new pubs and tools‚ etc., but He does that through WS. It's like the story Dad used to tell where the black preacher said, "The Gospel is free‚ but it costs something to pipe it to ya!" It costs you your tithe and it costs WS workers their full time.

64. I don't know if you're aware of it or not, but in today's more Bible-believing and practicing denominations, most church members tithe to their churches just like you do. But in most cases, what they usually get for their tithe is their preacher's one–hour weekly sermon, their church building, and sometimes a weekly four-page bulletin which is often more of a social calendar than a spiritual feeding. That's it! Everything else costs extra! If they want to read a book written by their pastor or by the founder of their church, they buy it. If they want a music tape produced by their church or denomination, they buy it. If they want a video produced by the church or denomination for their children, they buy it.

65. Consider the difference between that and what the Lord blesses you with because you are faithful to give your tithe and offerings. You get hundreds of pages of priceless written material every month—GNs, FSMs‚ HOPEs, etc. In 1995 alone you received the following regular publications: 46 GNs, 30 WNDs‚ 18 FSMs, 14 FARs, 12 Reflections, seven HOPEs‚ six Prayer Lists, five FUNs, five Family in Actions, three CLTPs, three Kidz Mags, four Christian Digests, two MLKs, one Viewpoints, 23 LNFs and Notices, eight Living Waters‚ three "FFing: The Inside Story" testimonies, and one Pubs Update!

66. Besides this, you received the following additional pubs: The Love Charter‚ the Charter Explanation and Summary, the Statement on TRF Supporters, the new TRF, Movie Guide 1995, Praise Time Songbook #1, Onward and Upward Songbook, CLE Ordering Instructions for the Family, and two press releases (#29-30).

67. Including still more pubs we send to friends and TSers, this was a grand total of 3,707 pages sent out last year, which comes to 309 pages per month, or over 10 pages per day. This is a 23% increase over 1994's 3,008 pages. It looks like so far this year we are producing even more. Besides the written pubs, you receive music tapes, Family Fun videos‚ outreach tools, etc.

68. Every pub you read is produced by people who have needs just like you. They need to eat, wear clothes, live in houses, have vehicles, and have the tools to do their jobs, such as computers, printers, printing presses‚ etc. So if you're wondering what happens to your tithe, all of this is paid for by the tithe that you send in each month. I know you don't tithe just for all the blessings and benefits you receive as a tithing member of the Family, but because you know the Lord asks it of you. (See Mal.3:10.) Even if you didn't get anything for your tithe, I believe you would still do it as part of your devotion and dedication to the Lord‚ and because you know from the Word that you're supposed to give 10 percent at least. But I thought it would encourage you to hear how your tithe is used to benefit the Family as a whole, and you personally.

69. Your tithe also covers the cost of translating these pubs into many local languages. You pay for the living expenses of the translators and their families, so they can translate full time, in order to feed our non-English speaking Family and to produce local language outreach tools.

70. Your tithe pays for those who collect, read and process your TRFs, for those who print and mail your mailings, who publish your want ads, who write answers to your questions, and who do the hundreds of other jobs that are involved in administrating a worldwide work that covers many countries, many different ministries, many different cultures, many different languages, all different ages, all different kinds of needs—spiritual, physical and emotional—providing the full spectrum of religious training‚ but also caring for the health and welfare, education and social development of thousands of unique individuals all over the world.

71. On top of paying for the pubs that are produced and for the living expenses of the people who produce them and the administration to service you and your Homes‚ your tithes also make it possible to help our Family missionaries stay in fields which are too poor to fully support any Family Homes. If WS couldn't help Homes in these areas, such as Eastern Europe and Russia, we would be extremely hampered in our efforts to get out the message there. Do you realize that about 30 Homes in Eastern Europe receive a large part of their monthly support from your tithes via WS gifts to them each month? Most of these Homes simply would not be able to exist without this support‚ which amounts to tens of thousands of dollars each month! Your tithe also makes possible pioneer efforts in sensitive fields where raising support is very difficult.

72. It's understandable that most of you don't realize where your tithe money is going, but when you read or hear about pioneering efforts in extremely sensitive fields, you can be sure that WS is channeling support to them on a regular basis. In fact, WS finances are spread abroad in such a variety of gifts each month and support so many units, offices, and missionaries on all six continents where we operate, that we have to keep a constant eye on our financial load and periodically warn all of the recipients to be prepared at any time to receive a cut in their support should a decrease in the WS funds occur. Of course the Lord never fails, but to you who have asked, "Where is all the money going?" just ask your Russian pioneer Homes; ask those translating our lit into Japanese, Vietnamese, Chinese‚ Thai, Indonesian, Tamil, Hindi, Spanish, Portuguese, or Arabic; ask the various reception centers; ask the teams going into Bosnia; ask your NPCs, who send you your mailings every single month without fail. In fact, there are about 100 specific recipients you could ask, all of whom are benefiting from your faithful and sacrificial tithes every month.

73. And because of your willingness to give your extra 1%, which is matched by the tithe of WS's 10%, we have the Family Aid Fund (FAF) which makes it possible for every Home to have Home Emergency Reserves (HER), as well as for new pioneer Homes to receive a pioneer gift. It also provides a reserve which Family Homes can apply for help from‚ to help cover emergency medical expenses they incur which they are unable to pay for or provision. So the FAF goes back to the Family Homes in its entirety, and is not used for any WS expenses at all! You may not have known this, but WS's donation to the FAF more than matches what the Homes put in. This is because WS tithes not only its DO Homes' tithes but also the TS Homes' tithes, as well as all special offerings and gifts to WS above the tithes. So you DO Homes are benefiting not only from your own 1%, but also from WS's tithe on the TRF Supporter tithes which come in, and on every other special offering to WS.

74. We also want to thank all of you who are contributing 3% of your income to your area's Common Pot. There are many administrational expenses when servicing the Homes in each CRO area, and these funds help to cover those expenses. We recently asked the CROs about the use of these funds, and have verified that they are completely reinvested into your local work. This money comes back to you in many ways, such as: financial help for ABMs (which have been in place since the Charter was implemented), area meetings and projects‚ special gifts to Homes in case of emergencies or needy situations, some "consider the poor" ministries, proactive media campaigns and persecution-related expenses (mass mailings, media representatives attending seminars, etc.)‚ duping and sending of some DO videos to the Homes, local pubs‚ some local language tapes and pubs, local video circuits, etc.

75. These funds are also used to finance the VSs and their visitation of the Homes. While VSs in most areas have only recently been appointed (and more will be appointed soon), the CROs have already been setting aside funds from the 3% for a number of months in order to build up a VS fund to draw from once the VSs begin visiting. How these funds are spent varies from area to area, as they are managed by the CROs, not WS. But in all cases, they have proven to be essential in maintaining the strong area infrastructure which services your Home. You should be receiving regular "Share the Know" pie graphs from your CROs to keep you informed of how the funds in your area's Common Pot are being spent.

76. God bless you for so faithfully tithing, and for all of your generous giving. Because you have tithed so faithfully in obedience to the Word‚ the Lord has been able to heap His abundant blessings upon you‚ to where you receive more feeding for your own nourishment, and probably more outreach tools for winning the world than any other group in existence. You're giving to the best cause in the world!—And we believe you're getting your money's worth! Dollar for dollar‚ you get more for your tithe than any church in existence! You deserve it! Person for person you're doing more than almost every church in existence! God bless you for your giving and for your faithful service to the Lord!

Finances and Sharing the Know!

77. I would like to ask you, though, to please pray for our finances. Since the implementation of the Charter, the Family's overall income has increased, which means that your tithes to WS have increased. However, special offerings and gifts above your tithes have dropped to almost nothing. In addition, overall expenses have increased. Sending more mailings costs more. Sending FTTs and other audio tapes has added a huge cost to our WS expenses. Sending more videos costs more. There are many new projects in the works, all of which cost money to complete and send to you. So please pray for the Lord to supply. Pray for some big financial gifts or inheritances so we can do all the Lord wants us to, okay? Thanks!

78. Since I'm on the subject of finances, I thought you might like to hear a bit about the FAF. Dad advocated that we "share the know," so I'd like to give you some information about how the FAF is working. The FAF began just about one year ago, when, after a Home referendum, all of our worldwide Homes agreed to turn in three-fourths of their HER reserves. Also, WS gave a generous amount. The funds from these two sources established a financial base for this aid and emergency fund. Since then it has given out HER funds to 289 Homes that have opened, pioneer gifts to 332 Homes, Home loans to 178 Homes, HER reimbursements to 38 Homes for legitimate expenditures, and has passed out 316 tool gifts. Besides this, it has given financial aid in a number of emergency situations, such as the Austin accident and others. So I'm encouraged to see it is working so well and benefiting so many.

79. We have also begun giving Baby Bonuses of $100 each out of the FAF, and so that you expectant mommies can obtain some of your baby needs before your baby arrives, the SACRO office suggested that we send out these Baby Bonuses before your baby is born. We thought this was a very good idea, and we've asked all of your CROs to please send out these gifts during your eighth month of pregnancy. So in order to obtain your $100 Baby Bonus, please notify your CRO office via your TRF during your seventh month of pregnancy, so that your office can send out your Baby Bonus during your eighth month, God willing.

80. I don't really like to talk too much about finances. As Dad used to say, when you talk about finances‚ some people will complain because they think you have too much and others will worry because they feel you don't have enough. But in this case, perhaps I should have been keeping you better informed, because it seems as though quite a few of you young people are doing anything but worrying that WS doesn't have enough. In fact, you seem to think it has too much! The people who are concerned about WS not having enough are the finance man and a few others who know what funds there actually are!

81. WS income comes from your monthly tithes and offerings, as well as those of our TRF Supporter Family. As explained above, those funds are used to service the Family. Almost all of what comes in each month goes out every month. In 1995, 84% of all the funds that came in to WS went out to the Family each month in the form of goods, services and gifts.—Thousands of gifts, as explained above. The other 16% was saved to cover future expenses. Some of this 16% is now being used to produce and mail the FTTs, Dad's "Garden of Eden" videos‚ and other projects. Any portion of that 16% which remains will become WS reserves.

82. WS reserves are basically classified under two categories: WS emergency funds and WS operating funds. The first category, WS emergency funds, are funds which WS has set aside in order to make it possible to function for a few months should there be some reason that there is a major decrease in or stoppage of funds being sent in, which has happened several times over the years. Dad always said that Homes and WS units should have emergency reserves to help in time of need. Your Home has funds available for this purpose; WS has its WS reserves. Should there be a prolonged disruption of some sort, so that it is not possible for WS to receive the tithes of the Homes, we would have to cut back most of our services and most pubs. But because of these WS reserves, we would, God willing, be able to at least send you regular GNs, so that you would have the latest news from the Lord. This is the purpose of the first category‚ WS emergency funds.

83. The second category, WS operating funds, are funds that WS needs on hand to cover non-budgeted expenses. Just like your Home, WS has normal expenses each month which it budgets for. However, oftentimes other expenses arise, and in order to meet these expenses, WS must have some funds available. For example, when the French and Argentine persecutions hit, those involved needed a great deal of help. In both cases we sent in leadership who worked behind the scenes‚ we sent financial aid, we helped with equipment purchases like fax machines so they could send out press releases regularly‚ etc. All of this cost money, and the funds from your tithes, which WS had saved as operating funds, covered these costs. When those arrested in Argentina got out of jail, you‚ through these WS funds, helped them with money to put food on their table, for travel expenses so they could get out of the country, as well as aid to many of the Homes giving them refuge in new fields.

84. Basically, WS has a set amount of funds it tries to keep as emergency reserves and as operating funds. When there is a windfall, such as a large gift to WS, which gives us more than we need, Dad's policy was always to give it back to the Family in some way. I'll remind you of a few examples of his giving back to the Family:

85. In 1986, WS paid for every Home to have a six-month reserve of posters, which meant that WS paid for those posters and gave them to you for free. They also paid for a special duping of audio tapes so free tapes would be given to all adults on the mission field, in order to help those adults build up personal reserves. Funds were also given to each CRO area in order for them to be able to offer interest–free Home loans to Homes in need‚ loans which are still available today, ten years later.

86. In 1987, Dad and I gave every Home on the mission field a $2,000 emergency reserve gift which they were to hold on to. (By 1989 every Home was given a $2,000 emergency reserve gift. These funds were eventually incorporated into the HER program and now the FAF.) We also gave Pioneer Gifts of up to $2,000 to every new pioneer Home that opened on the mission field. Along with this, we also gave each CRO area in the world enough funds to pay for a three-month tape reserve in order to ensure that each Continental Area would have at least a three-month stock of tapes on hand at any given time‚ so they would always be able to fill the Homes' needs. We also helped to cover the costs of the various TTCs, YESs and LTCs held throughout the world, including giving gifts to the poorer Homes sending representatives to these meetings, to help out with these Homes' expenses while their breadwinners were away.

87. During the next few years, WS helped to pay for the evacuation of our missionaries from the Philippines and India, and also published and mailed 20 different books to each Family Home. WS also gave out a large lump sum gift to the PPC/SC of each CRO area‚ so that they would be able to produce an advance stock of distribution tools to have on hand for your ordering. Otherwise, the PPC/SCs would have had to receive payment from you in advance before being able to duplicate your tool orders for you. These "Tool Duping Funds" are still in existence today, constantly being reinvested in new stock productions and then being repaid once you send in your payments. Without it, your PPCs and SCs simply would not be able to function, or at least would have to take payment in advance before duplicating your tools. During this time, WS also provided a set of GAP videos for every Home on the mission field that didn't have a set.

88. In 1992 and again in 1993, Dad and I gave each Home worldwide $1,000 worth of outreach tools for your Christmas outreach. Before his Homegoing, Dad instituted the tool fund‚ so that every member would have $50 worth of tools which they could take with them when they moved Homes. Last year, when the FAF program first began, WS gave a major portion of the funds that went to setting up the FAF. WS has contributed much more than the DO Homes have to the FAF, because WS is tithing all of its incoming gifts—DO and TS Home tithes‚ as well as special offerings to WS—all of which has been for the benefit of the DO Homes.

89. I have heard comments from some people who have no idea about the state of WS finances, that WS should invest its money in stocks, banks and other money-making ventures, so I thought it would be helpful to address this issue in order to clear up any misconceptions. Had Dad's policy of giving as much as possible of WS's income back to the Family not been in place, WS would have accumulated a fair bit of money, but instead, we gave it back to you. This is a policy which we intend to carry on. So to those of you who have been saying that WS should be investing their money in order to help the Family‚ I say that's exactly what we're doing! We do not have large sums of money that we can put in banks in order to collect interest, nor to invest in the stock market, nor to invest in other money-making schemes, nor would we want to. We are investing in you! That's the best investment there is!

90. Once when there were some extra funds, Peter wrote Dad a report asking him about the possibility of investing in certain money-making possibilities. Dad's response was, "Why give it to the Devil's people to invest and make money on? Let's invest it in the Family!" At Dad's request, Peter then proposed several possible plans to give the funds to the Family‚ and Dad and I chose one that would give a $1,000 Christmas tool gift to the Homes.

91. The interesting thing about this is that Peter calculated that if WS had invested those funds in the System, WS would have gotten about a 10% return after one year. But when we gave the funds to the Homes, the Lord returned the full amount we'd given away through an inheritance within one month. So the Lord gave a 100% return in only one month‚ as compared to the System's 10% in one year! Virtually every time we've given our extra WS funds to the Family, the Lord has always replaced it.

92. But because it is a new day, and the Lord is constantly doing new things‚ I wanted to ask Him about this question of investments. Peter and Gary and I had already counseled about the possibility of making different types of investments, and Peter had in the past researched different possibilities. However, because of the leading we felt from the Lord, the good training we have received from Dad, and our having seen the tremendous fruit of investing in the Family, we had pretty much come to the conclusion that we did not want to invest the Family's money in the worldly financial system. But because some of you had asked about that, I felt I should bring it before the Lord to get a confirmation on how Peter and Gary and I were feeling led, and to see whether the Lord wanted to make any changes in the way that we have been operating. The following is what the Lord said:

Invest in the Work of God!

93. (Prophecy, Jesus speaking:) I say unto you to invest, yes, invest! Invest in the Kingdom of God. Invest in the children of God. Invest in the best investment there is, the investment of the work of God. For he that invests in the work of God is a joint investor with God and reaps the rewards of God.

94. You, the children of David‚ are virgins unto the Lord your God. Virgins in that you are unspotted by the world. Virgins, because you have not taken on the ways of the world. Virgins, because you are free to love your God. So be not entangled with the yoke of bondage‚ but remain free—free to serve the Lord your God. Do not become enshackled with the chains of conformity, but thrust yourself upon your God in full faith, trusting, and He will never fail you. For he that invests in the work of God receives dividends from God Himself.

95. Do not look to the paltry dividends of man, for they are as nothing. Look to the dividends of God, which are an hundred-fold and life everlasting. Do not look to the ways of man, but look to the ways of God. Trust Him‚ for He is better than a known way.

96. So invest, yes, invest! Invest in the work of the Lord your God‚ and reap, yes, reap the dividends of God! For the dividends of God are greater than the dividends of man. The dividends of God are eternal! (End of prophecy.)

97. (Prophecy, Jesus speaking:) I am He that supplies all your needs according to My riches in glory. I pour forth unto you in abundance in every way, and I will continue to pour forth unto you. I will pour forth that which is of value. I will pour forth My Word in great abundance, and so shall you have great riches and great wisdom, great truth. For these are the true riches of God‚ the riches that I pour forth upon you in great abundance.

98. You shall have abundant riches of the Spirit! I will care for you, and I will also pour unto you the riches of the flesh, all that you need so that you may do your job, that you may fulfill My calling.

99. You are moving in the direction that I am leading you. You have poured forth My Word. You have given My children that which I have spoken unto you, and they now choose if they will follow, if they will obey. Those who obey will be highly blessed. I will supply their needs. For I have promised that they that love Me, I will love greatly. They that will be My brides will be married unto Me in a new and better way. I will pour forth upon them blessings, I will care for them, I will supply all their needs.

100. You are obeying Me by preparing to pour forth My Words, in books, in new ways, as I have said, and this too I will bless. I will bless it because of your faith and your obedience.

101. As My children begin to further obey, as they draw close to Me in love, as they embrace the new ways, the new ideas, the new tools, so will I pour forth unto them in abundance so that they may have all their needs. For I wish to scatter My Words upon all the Earth! I wish to get them out through all avenues, and I wish for My children to pour them out abundantly. As they give and give and give, so shall I give unto them. For I have been testing and proving and purging My children‚ and when I am done, I will know them that are faithful and true‚ and I will pour unto them.

102. I will not leave you comfortless, but I will pour unto you all that you need. I will pour forth abundantly so that all your needs will be supplied. But you must move forward by faith. You must trust Me by faith‚ that you may receive My blessings.

103. I say to you, the shepherds of My sheep, the guardians of My Word, give and it shall be given unto you! Use that which I have poured unto you so that I may pour forth more unto you. Is this not My principle—give and it shall be given unto you? Did I not say to empty your vats so that they may be filled once again? Are you not emptying them and am I not filling them? Give, always give! Give in the Spirit. Give in the flesh. For it is in giving that you receive.

104. There are many who try to read the signs of the times. There are many who predict that which they believe will come. I say to you, look not to them, but look unto Me. For I am the revealer of secrets. I am the teller of truth. I am He that speaks unto My children, Who shows them these secrets and the truth. I am He that warns of things to come, for I see far into the future, and I lead and guide you accordingly. I plot your route. I map it out for you. If you will follow Me, and if you will but follow the map that I have laid out, you will reach your destination. For I will lead you in pleasant places‚ and I will keep you. So look unto Me and look not to those who know Me not. For I will show you these things before they come to pass, that you may know that I have spoken.

105. But I say to you that now is the time to invest—to invest in that which will bring forth true dividends. Invest in My Words, invest in My children, and you shall reap a great harvest‚ and you shall have all that you need. (End of prophecy.)

106. (Mama:) Thank You so much, Jesus, for continuing to answer our questions so abundantly, to pour down Your wisdom from Heaven, to give us riches beyond any that the world has to offer! We really are Your pets. You really spoil us. You give us everything we ask because You delight in us, and because we delight in You. We love to hear from You and we love to pass it on to Your children.

Progress on the Books!

107. In "State of the Nation '95," I included a prophecy about the publishing of books for the general public as new outreach tools. (See ML #3017:212-226, GN 654.) Since that time we have been working towards that goal. First, Peter, Gary and I‚ in counsel with Apollos and Matthew, spent some time analyzing our publications methods and modes of operation to see if we could reorganize our publications units in order to free some people to work on compiling, editing and preparing books for the GP.

108. After making the necessary changes, we were able to put together an initial team which has begun work on these books. I'll be telling you more about the books soon, but for now I wanted to let you know that this is in the works and that we are making progress. We have had a team on the road researching where would be the best place to print the books, and we are in the process of setting up a new WS Home that will handle the production and distribution of the books to the Homes, and hopefully through bookstores and other System outlets as well.

109. By God's grace we hope to print our first GP books some time during the second half of this year. Initially the books will be printed in English, and then, after being translated, will be printed in other languages, Lord willing. We also hope to print the next Daily Bread and Lifelines around that time as well.

110. In order to give this whole project a good kick start, as well as collect information from those on the front lines who are most familiar with the terrain, or who have experience in business matters, sales‚ etc., the Lord led us to convene a series of meetings with a number of Family representatives from the field and Service Homes around the world. Peter and Gary spent over a week with these representatives, which included outreach people‚ PPC personnel, field Home shepherds, representatives from WS, etc.

111. The main purpose of these meetings was to discuss and pray about how to get these books out to the world, whether it be through direct marketing, bookstores, follow–up sales‚ etc. Also discussed were all the legalities and business details involved. Being able to get some of our most experienced Family outreachers and business-minded folks together to discuss this new venture was very beneficial. Many good ideas were generated, and plans were discussed as to how to put these ideas into action. Those at the new WS Home‚ with the help of others, will now be working on implementing many of the plans put forward in these meetings. Pioneering a project like this takes time, but we do hope to see some tangible results in the near future. Please pray for them, as it's a big job!

112. Thanks also to all of you who wrote in offering to help in the production of the books. We're very thankful for your willingness to sacrifice. Besides those working full-time in this WS Home, there may be a need for additional help in the future, or assistance with certain part–time projects or research. At that time we may call on some of you folks who have the burden and the time, to help with different aspects of this project from where you are. Please pray with us for those who are working very hard to pioneer this new ministry. We know the Lord is going to do it and His Words will be fulfilled.

113. Remember, He said: "For this is the day of the Words of David. I set before you great and effectual doors and I open these doors to you—fear not to walk through them. I will show you the way and I will lead you and I will guide you. Prepare the Words, that you may give the truth of David to the nations, for they need to hear the Message! And how will they hear the Message? Will they have to wait until one of My children comes face to face with them? And, oh, they do wait! But each book will be as one of My children. For each book will be a voice speaking My Words, a voice wooing them to come to Me, a voice answering their questions" (ML #3017:220, 221).

Please Pray for Finances!

114. Setting up a new WS unit and printing these books will take a considerable amount of funds—funds which WS doesn't presently have. We are simply going by faith‚ following what the Lord has shown us to do. We know it's His will for the Word to be published, we know the world needs the Words, so we are trusting that He will supply.

115. At this point we aren't sure how He intends to supply, but one possibility that Peter and Gary and I have discussed is that if no large windfalls come in within the next few months, we may need to ask you about letting WS give the 10% they would normally contribute monthly to the FAF to this GP book project instead for a few months. If we were to do that, those funds would be used to pay for the setting up of the WS Home and the initial printing of the books.

116. This idea came to mind after we prayed about investing the FAF funds in some System money-making venture and the Lord gave the above prophecy about investing in the work of God instead. Of course, we're continuing to pray that the Lord will supply some large special gifts to cover these costs, but it may be that He wants to supply through all of us agreeing to use 10% of the WS income for this purpose for a few months. If the need arises, we will ask for your agreement via an official referendum. Please pray with us for the funds for these projects. Thanks.

Pioneering New Methods to Get Out the Word!

117. In addition to talking about the book project‚ Peter and Gary and the Family members attending the above-mentioned meetings also discussed our posters, tapes and videos, and the need to update some, streamline others, and try to make them more attractive and appealing. They discussed the possibility of creating materials to go with the videos, updating some posters, new GP booklets, as well as many other outreach-oriented ideas. We gleaned a great deal of information on the obstacles and needs at the Home level, and we'll be using this information as best we can to try to help you, our dear frontline soldiers, to be able to get out more tools more easily.

118. Another very interesting subject they discussed was the mass marketing of our tools, including ways to get them out to a greater number of people more easily, and thus generate more income for the Homes. There are many different ideas and suggestions, some of which our folks will be pioneering or trying out‚ to see how they go. So please pray that good progress can be made and that the results can be a help to all our Homes. It will take some time, of course, but these meetings were a big and important first step, and we will continue to work towards these goals.

Why We Can't Resume FFing

119. Now on to another subject which also seems to need some attention. I have received a few letters lately from different YAs and adult women asking if we could resume FFing. They've had different reasons for asking. One YA wrote a long letter expressing that she felt if the YAs and young women could FF, they could solve their Homes' financial problems‚ as bankers, businessmen, city fathers, etc., would be more willing to give support if they received some physical love in return. None of the older women gave the need for finances as the reason for wanting to do some FFing. A few other women wrote that when they witness to people, or follow up on them, they feel a tremendous amount of God's Love for some of the men, and they wonder why they can't show them that love in a physical way. I understand all of these questions, both the financial question and the desire to show people more of the Lord's Love.

120. FFing was a very fruitful ministry‚ but there are a number of very good reasons why we stopped. These reasons are enumerated in the DFing series of Letters and FSM articles (see ML #2313, Vol.17; FSMs 62-66, and more recently‚ FSM 230). You can also find good explanations in the following Letters: "Even the AIDS Scare Is for Our Good" (ML #2345‚ Vol.17), "Mama on the New AIDS Rules" (ML #2346, Vol.17) and "Our Beliefs Concerning the Lord's Law of Love" (ML #2858:22-25, GN 555). You can read these past pubs to get the full understanding of why we no longer FF, but I'll give you a short summary of the reasoning here.

121. The main reason for stopping FFing was because we saw that if we hooked these people‚ men mostly, on the Word, it was more effective, less time–consuming, and bore more fruit in their lives. Since we have been concentrating more on the Word, and have stopped getting involved sexually with our friends, it has helped them to mature spiritually more quickly, because they have become hooked on the Word rather than the woman.

122. FFing certainly helped us to reach people that may not have been reached otherwise, and there were tens of thousands of souls won as a result. But from my personal experience, and from hearing about the experience of many past FFers, I know that if sex is available to the men you're witnessing to, that is the thing that is emphasized over the Word, and most of the effort and time goes into fellowshipping together and lovemaking, and not into studying the Word.

123. In order to really ground our friends more firmly in the Word, we recognized the need to spend more time feeding them spiritually. Also, we found that each one of our FFers was able to minister to more people if she was not so personally and intimately involved with them. And if the AIDS plague was a consideration when we first decided to stop FFing‚ how much more would it be a major factor in preventing us from going back to FFing, even if we wanted to. We have to do all we can to try to protect our dear Family, as Jesus needs each one of us to do our big job of reaching the lost for Him.

124. Besides protecting ourselves from AIDS, we must also protect our children from being taken from us. As you know, over the years many Family members have suffered greatly because their children were taken away from them by governmental authorities. Every single child was returned‚ thank the Lord, but things might have turned out differently if we were still FFing, as the authorities would have used our FFing to try to prove that we were "practicing prostitution." If our YAs were FFing today, the authorities would have certainly used that to accuse us of raising our children to become prostitutes. The authorities do not understand the Scriptural principles behind FFing, nor can they comprehend that when we practiced FFing, it was a beautiful, sacrificial act of love, the last resort to win people to Jesus. They simply see it as prostitution.

125. As far as the question about why we can't go back to FFing, since it seems to you that those who would be ministered to would be more willing to help financially, the Lord said in prophecy: "These who wish to turn to men and to give unto men in return for material things, for finances, should realize that if they will turn unto Me, the richest of all, the most powerful of all‚ He that rules the universe, I will pour forth unto them all the gifts, all the supply, all that they need. For in loving and in wooing Me, they will receive the true riches, the riches of the Spirit, and they will receive the answers to their prayers, as I pour forth My blessings in abundance upon them."

126. So you see, it is in turning to the Lord and drawing close to Him and "wooing Him" that the Lord will shower His blessings, financial and otherwise, upon us—not in giving sexual favors to men in hopes that they will help our work financially. If we start praising the Lord for all the blessings of every kind that He has heaped upon us, then He will continue to give us more. As our love and praise go up to Him, His blessings will come down to us. As we love Him the way He wants to be loved, He will shower His blessings on us. If you want to FF to bring in funds for your Home, FF Jesus, love Him! He's the One Who owns everything!

127. I'll share an excerpt from a letter I received about how some of you virtually fall in love with those you are witnessing to:

128. "I'm traveling a lot on the field I'm working in and I meet so many people starving for the Lord's Love and begging me to give them a drop of Heavenly water. They're hungry for a word of encouragement, a tender touch‚ a look of love. But although I know the Lord is loving them through me, sometimes I go through a great trial‚ for although I love them, I can't touch them, I can't be with them, I can't let them know in a physical way that I love them and Jesus loves them. I don't mean to say that our rules are not right—they are very right—it's just that this restriction of not being able to love outsiders sexually is my biggest trial.

129. "My fear is that one day I'll get excommunicated for loving these people more than in a spiritual way. I'm a very sexy person and I'm very emotional‚ and many times I tend to be led by my emotions. I know that love is an emotion, but it probably leads me too much sometimes‚ and the Lord doesn't get His way as much I'd like for Him to. I'm a little confused regarding this aspect as to where I should draw the line in my emotions in loving others.

130. "I love loving other people, especially those who have so little love, like most of those I meet. But once I get into witnessing to them deeply, that is it! It takes a lot of fighting against these feelings, because to me the spiritual is very much linked with the physical. It's been very hard to the extent that sometimes I close my heart to loving others spiritually for fear I will step over the line physically and contravene the rules in the Charter. Please don't take your precious time to answer. It feels good just to tell you about this!"

131. (Mama:) What a sweet letter from a dedicated missionary! Even though she said I didn't need to answer, I knew the Lord wanted to comfort her and answer her question, and in doing so He has given beautiful counsel for us all.

132. (Prophecy‚ Jesus speaking:) My precious darling in whom I am well pleased, who loves others as I would love them, who goes where I would go, who weeps with those who weep and joys with those who joy, whose heart breaks for the brokenhearted, and who feels, "There must be more that I can do!" This is the love of the Philadelphian church that I spoke of, the city of brotherly love, these who give their lives and their love for the lost, who give all.

133. Though your heart breaks for these hungry ones and wishes to show more than just a spiritual love, but to show them love in the physical as well, it is also important to love those of the Family‚ your brothers and sisters, by protecting them and their health, in guarding them, in safekeeping them. For these are the final reapers, these are the soul winners, My called and chosen who must be protected.

134. It is the duty of every Family member to do all that he can do to protect and cherish the health and well-being of each other.—Not only in not having sex with outsiders and preventing the spread of AIDS and other disease, but in all matters—in driving, maintenance, childcare, in safety from any type of disease or harm. For you are your brother's keeper, and each one is precious in My sight.

135. I also have great love for these lost, for whom I died and for whom some of you will die. My Spirit will speak to them through your words‚ and through your looks of love they will see My face. When you touch their arm or hold their hand, they will know that Love is there and they will feel My presence. When you cry in front of them and with them, they will know that they weep not alone, but that it is I Who weep with them. For I will speak to their hearts and the Spirit will bear witness to them that My Love is present, and that I am present.

136. They will know that it is not you, but that they have been loved by Me, and they will be changed and they will be touched. For I am not limited by many or by few, and I am not limited by whether you can have sex or you cannot have sex, for the Spirit cannot be limited.

137. So continue to show My Love, My good and faithful servant, My darling, in giving My Words and My look of love and My touch and My sympathy and My smiles. As you listen to their heartaches, they will know that I have been among them. I will cause My Love to be multiplied through you. I will cause the words that you speak to them, and the touches that you give them, and the looks of sympathy, to return to them in their memories and continue loving them and speaking to them and bringing them My Love and comfort and Salvation.

138. Be not disappointed and be not discouraged, for great is your reward! Great is your fruit for the love you have sown, and great is the harvest of souls laid up for you as stars in your crown. (End of prophecy.)

139. (Mama:) As you can see from what the Lord said, He is not limited by the fact that we can't show physical love to those we witness to. He is able to give them His Love through the Spirit and through His Word. So be faithful to give His Love, His Spirit and His Word to all you witness to. He also pointed out how important it is to protect the Family from AIDS, as we are reapers and soul winners, of which there are so few in today's world.

140. We want to reiterate that FFing is not allowed within the DO or the TS Family. We've heard of a situation where someone was misinformed and thought that WS was going to give her permission to FF. That is not the case. We have not given anyone permission to do so, and as evidenced by what the Lord has said‚ He does not want us FFing.

Update on Mama's Eyes

141. Thank you, dear Family, for your many prayers for me, Peter, and our household. I can testify that they have worked time after time. Your prayers are such a precious token of your love. They allow the Lord to heal us and keep us strong enough to continue to pass on His Words to you. So, in a real sense, it is your prayers for us that allow you to benefit from His wonderful Words that we are able to pass on to you.

142. By your prayers, you have unleashed God's power, and have enabled Him to keep me alive by stopping the excessive menstrual bleeding I was experiencing. Through your prayers, the Lord has kept me strong enough to be able to work on His Words and give them to you. Through your prayers‚ the Lord has been able to heal Peter's heart and give him miraculous stamina during very intensive schedules, with traveling, meetings, etc. Your prayers have done wonderful things for us and our household, enabling us to give you great things from Jesus.

143. My eyes, however, have continued to worsen‚ and are very bothersome. I was getting quite discouraged about them the other day and was wanting to ask for prayer for them. On the other hand‚ I felt that if it was the Lord's plan to let them continue to grow worse, it would not be much use to take your time praying for something the Lord wasn't going to heal any time soon anyway. I asked one of the dear women in our Home if she would get something from the Lord for me about my eyes and whether I should just resign myself to accepting a continual deterioration, or whether there was anything the Lord wanted me to do at this point. Here is what the Lord gave me:

144. (Prophecy, Jesus speaking:) All things come by My hand‚ whether health or afflictions. This is the way I have chosen for you to operate.—A thorn of desperation, something to be used for My children to focus their attention and prayers on you, so they can be desperate for you. For they know not always what to pray for, so tell them your needs‚ your desperate needs. This helps them to know how to pray for you and what to pray for. Give them a list of all the things you want them to pray for you. This is a good sample; it will not stumble them. They also need to learn to persevere, to endure hardship, to endure affliction, to not give up easily, to humble themselves, to continually ask for prayer for their own thorns.

145. They need to be as importunate for you as they were for your Father David, and as they should be for Peter. Remind them to continually pray, and I will greatly increase their faith when I do the miracle. For then they will know that the answer was brought as a result of their prayers for you.

146. They must continue to pray no matter how much they have prayed already. For how they pray for your eyes—if they worsen, or if they get better—is like unto how My servants held up the arms of Moses. As they let them fall or raised them, so went the battle. Teach them to persevere in prayer that they may open your eyelids by their prayers, that they may continue to receive at your hand wondrous things out of My law. (End of prophecy.)

147. (Mama:) So‚ dear ones, the Lord surprised me by telling me that I needed to ask you to pray for me even more than you have been. I often hesitate to send you my prayer requests unless they are extremely serious, because I know how very many things you have to pray for, and praying takes time. There are so many who have much greater afflictions than I do, and I feel a little selfish sometimes. But as you can see, the Lord is telling us that this is not the right attitude‚ and I should be quick to tell you my needs and be humble enough to do so continually. He says that as you pray, He will be able to make things better, and when we see improvement or even experience total healing, we will know that it has been a result of your prayers.

148. When one of my co–workers read this GN, he suggested that it might help you to understand my situation better, and therefore pray more desperately and knowledgeably, if you were more informed about my eye condition. I asked him to write a little explanation, which I'll include here. He said:

149. "Many people have the wrong impression about Mama's eyes. They think that she's blind or that her sight is severely impaired. That's not the case. The problem is a chronic eyelid infection which causes constant irritation. Therefore, it is painful for her to open her eyes, and when she does, they get worse.

150. "She therefore keeps her eyes closed most of the time—when working, talking, eating, exercising, making love, etc. When she talks with someone, she usually has her eyes shut the whole time‚ only opening them momentarily when needed or when saying hello or good-bye. In addition to hardly being able to use her eyes at all, they hurt all the time because of the infection.

151. "Mama cannot read anymore‚ not only because just having her eyes open causes her pain, but because the strain of trying to focus on the words causes her headaches, because of her eye muscles being unused for so long. Just the minimal use she has to make of her eyes is often enough to give her headaches‚ which then immediately make her eyes more painful. She listens to all prophecies, pubs, phone messages, reports, personal letters, etc., on tape. Everything used to be read to her on microtapes by her helpers, but now her secretary uses a voice synthesizer for the blind which 'reads' computer files on tape. She has so much work that her bed is often literally covered with tapes." (Mama: If Peter can't find a place to lie down, he just lies on top of me!—Fun! But I usually clear the bed when he comes along!) "Recently she had a record-breaking day in which she received 62 messages! Most did not fill an entire tape—many were much shorter—but she was not able to listen to all those tapes that day. This example certainly shows the huge workload she carries.

152. "If she needs to write anything down, she writes, with her eyes closed, in a little notebook that's beside her bed, using a pen that hangs close by on a string. Then every few days one of her helpers or her secretary reads the notes in her notebook to her and she records on tape either another version of the list that she can refer to later (via the tape), or she dictates on tape whatever it was she wanted to pass on about that point. When she proofreads or edits her work, she has to listen to her original dictation on tape with one recorder, and dictate any changes or additions on tape with another recorder. As you can imagine, it's a slow, tedious and difficult process that requires a great deal of work, since she's not able to actually see what she's writing, but can only hear it. As a result, her power of concentration has become very keen.

153. "Her eye infection also causes her eyes to be extremely sensitive to light, so she rarely goes out in the daytime, and her and Peter's room is always quite dark, with only a couple of small indirect lights kept on. If her eyes are exposed to light, especially bright light‚ they become much worse. For example, before Peter left on a trip last year she had some photos taken of herself as a surprise for him. Having her eyes open for the time it took to take the photos and having the camera flash in her face were very detrimental to her eyes. It took a long time for her to recover from that experience‚ but she wanted to make that sacrifice because she knew it would mean so much to Peter to be able to have some recent sexy photos of her to take with him on his trip.

154. "She exercises at night on an exercise bike outside on the porch, weather permitting. Otherwise she stays inside all the time, except for her times of exercise. Because she is not able to enjoy the outdoors, they have decorated their small room with lots of artificial plants and large posters of beautiful scenery which cover whole walls. Thus when she does need to open her eyes for a moment, she enjoys a glimpse of the plants or the nature scenes on the posters. Needless to say, she is not able to go out for a stroll or relax in a café like she used to love to do with Dad, and she also cannot watch TV or videos.

155. "Mama has been to several doctors over the years. Dad had suggested she try to get a diagnosis from an eye expert so we'd know what to pray for. She has been diagnosed with several problems. All of the doctors have agreed that her eye problem is chronic; it is not curable. They have prescribed ointments, pills, and given suggestions about how to cope with her eye problems, but as Dad has said, many times doctors can only guess or experiment and don't really have the solutions. Mama has taken the time to find out if there are any physical explanations for her eye problems‚ and she has explored possible physical solutions. She has also tried a few of the doctors' suggestions. But these have not resulted in a cure for her eye condition. She knows that the Lord is the One Who will not only keep her and help her to continue to be able to do her work, but also He is the only One Who can heal her.

156. "Despite such a serious affliction, which makes her work much more difficult, Mama is extremely cheerful. None of us here in her Home have heard her complain about this affliction or the serious inconveniences it brings. To the contrary, she often comments on how her afflictions are so light compared to what others suffer. Any of us would probably go stir-crazy if we were confined to our room permanently because of afflictions which prevent us from going around the house or outside much at all, but the Lord has given Mama miraculous grace and patience! She's truly an example to us all. Because she has to be able to open her eyes at least momentarily throughout the day, in order to read the labels on her tapes (which indicate the tape contents or subject), so she can see what work she has to do and she can find the most important or timely tapes to work on, it is very important that her eyes don't get worse, to the point that she would not be able to open them at all! Please continue to pray for her! Thanks!"

157. (Mama:) Hearing more details about how I live and work might be a little surprising to you. But the Lord certainly has been very good to me! He has enabled me to continue my work for Him‚ even though the way in which I work is much slower and more cumbersome than if I could use my eyes like a normal person. But as you know, He has used and is still using this eye condition to bring about His will in my life and to make me into the vessel that He wants me to be, so I'm very thankful for it. If my co-workers feel that I've been a good sample through this light affliction, I give all the glory to Jesus. It is He Who gives me grace, patience‚ and joy.

158. In fact, I know I'm the richest woman in the world, and I'm blessed beyond measure with the most exciting work there is, with the priceless opportunity of receiving daily outpourings of the treasures of His Word! It's true that spending a moment relaxing over a cup of coffee in a café is enjoyable, taking a walk in the warm sunshine is refreshing, and watching a worthwhile video or documentary is relaxing, but I've found that the greatest excitement is in the Spirit. That's what really turns me on!—And the Lord has given me the desires of my heart in allowing me to hear from Him and publish His Words! Not only that, but I get to stay abreast of many of the wonderful things you, my dear Family, are accomplishing on the mission field! Not having the full use of my eyes is a small price to pay when compared with the great wealth of blessings that the Lord constantly pours upon me.

159. I feel like I'm high in the Spirit all the time, so you don't have to worry about me or feel sorry for me. Yes, please continue to pray that the Lord will keep me healthy enough to continue my work, but also know that Jesus and Peter and all my loved ones here take very good care of me, and I don't see how I could possibly be happier!

160. Recently, after foolishly rubbing one of my eyes, it became quite infected, a secondary infection on top of the long-term infection. I immediately asked for prayer, of course, confessing my sin of rubbing my eye when I knew I shouldn't, and asking for the Lord's forgiveness. The folks with whom we were in immediate communication began praying for me, and within just a few days the swelling had gone down and the secondary infection had been healed—with nothing but the power of God working through prayer. All praise to Jesus for His great love and mercy!

161. While this was all taking place, I decided I should ask the Lord if He had anything to tell me about this new affliction, and what the reasons for it were. The Lord doesn't do anything "by chance," and I was pretty sure He wasn't punishing me because I had foolishly irritated my eye. I had asked His forgiveness immediately afterwards‚ and I know that He loves me too much to punish me for a stupid little mistake. That was one of those "unguarded moments," which I immediately repented of afterwards. So I asked another of the folks in our Home to pray for me and ask the Lord the reasons for this, as well as any lessons He wanted to teach me through it. Here is what He said:

Multi-Colored Stepping Stones Prophecy!

162. (Prophecy‚ Jesus speaking:) Am I not your High Priest‚ touched by the feeling of your infirmities? My darling, My sweetheart, just as I am your High Priest, touched with the feeling of your infirmities, so I anoint you, My high priestess of love‚ that you also may be touched by the feeling of the infirmities of My children. For their eyes are upon you, and when they see that you have your faith firmly fixed on Me in your affliction, they too will do the same; and their faith will grow, just as your faith grows as My power of healing is manifested in you.

163. My hand is not shortened, that it cannot heal. Did I not heal your Father David time and again? And did not this healing cause your own faith to grow? Reflect now on the faith of David. Lean on faith, knowing that I create and I heal. And your children will be greatly encouraged as they see that their queen is touched by the feeling of their infirmities, yet she stands without spot, without blemish, with her eyes firmly fixed on Me, being tempted in all points like as they are, yet without sinning [without murmuring, questioning or doubting]. It will encourage many that they too can continue to trust Me in the face of affliction. For it will inspire many to turn to Me in faith‚ knowing I am able to save.

164. Satan desires to have you that he may sift you as wheat, yet I continually pray for you that your faith fail not. Therefore look not on these light afflictions as punishment for your sins, for they accomplish a great purpose. You are right to assume that the Enemy is angry, for you have gone right over the top and are accomplishing much. Therefore Satan walks about as a roaring lion, ranting and raving, enraged, furious and determined more than ever to hurt, to harm, to hinder, to slow you down, to bring you down, looking for a little crack here, a chink there, a weak link, any way he can get in and cause harm.

165. But Satan trips himself, he falls into a deep ditch, for in his feeble attempts to test you and to bring you down, he creates stepping stones. All things work together for your good because you love Me and have desired Me above all others. Your faith has made you whole. Therefore in his much trying, Satan hangs himself, for he creates but stepping stones. These light afflictions are but stepping stones, all working together for good to accomplish My will and My purpose.—Stepping stones that lead to the path of higher ground of fuller faith and trust in Me.

166. Therefore rest assured that these afflictions are but stepping stones to accomplish My will. They are multi-colored stepping stones, that through these light afflictions you may bear much fruit. For the purpose is multi-colored, multi–purposed. Look at the fruit it already bears! Has it not accomplished My plan in helping you to keep your eyes fixed on Me? And has it not accomplished My will in you asking My children to pray? In this I am well pleased.

167. The prayers of My children can do mighty things, therefore they must not tire‚ they must not be weary in prayer. Again and again My children must pray and pray, for the great power that lies within their prayers is needed to stem the tide of iniquity that would cover the Earth in these Last Days. You do well to avail yourself of the prayers of your children, for not only do their prayers call down My elixir of healing for today, but their prayer muscles are strengthened for the great battles ahead.

168. Fear not, for I walk beside you, and you are encompassed about on every side with mighty angels, warriors and helpers in the Spirit that protect you from the fiery darts of the Evil One. All the security forces of Heaven are at your command, yet the forces are released by the power of prayer. My children must pray, upholding My queen and king and each other in prayer.

169. So I give you these multi-colored stepping stones‚ that in your light affliction many purposes may be established: Greater dependency on Me, greater faith, greater prayer, greater encouragement as you partake of My healing touch, greater power. As you pray and trust in Me for your light affliction‚ it will encourage and increase not only your faith‚ but the faith of My children as they see your sample of faith‚ trust, and dependency on Me in your affliction. They will see and they will say, "Praise be to our Mighty God! If He can heal our beloved Queen Maria, He surely can heal me. I too choose to trust that I may be healed, that I may depend solely on Him, that I may grow in faith."

170. Therefore fear not, precious high priestess of love. Be touched with the feelings of their infirmities that you may continue leading your children up the path to higher ground of a closer walk with Me.

171. Come now and rest in My arms, let Me give you rest. Rest from your labors for awhile‚ rest your eyes, and know that your light affliction is for a little while, that afterward it may yield much fruit. (End of prophecy.)

172. (Mama:) What precious Words my dearest Heavenly Husband speaks to me. How sad it would have been if I hadn't asked! Look what we would have missed! He has such riches for us, and He's eager to give them to us! All we have to do is ask! I hope whenever you have a problem or a question, that you either ask the Lord yourself, or if you don't happen to have the gift of prophecy, that you ask someone else to pray and hear from the Lord for you. Look at all the things the Lord says that He does through these light afflictions!—Even giving encouragement to you, for your healing. Your afflictions can be multi-colored stepping stones too! And, in praying for your king and queen, the Lord says your prayer muscles are strengthened for the battles ahead.

173. We all benefit in various ways from these afflictions! Thus we can say with Saint Paul, we "glory in our afflictions, that the power of Christ may rest upon us!" (2Cor.12:9). Well, I don't know if I've really gotten to that point yet, but I want to, and you can pray for me that I will! I don't want to just be resigned to them, but I want to be actively thankful for them and praise God for every test and trial, because I know it works such great things in my life and yours.

174. So again, my precious Family, thank you for your prayers for me and for Peter and for our staff. Continue to pray for us against colds and headaches‚ menopause symptoms, sore eyes, heart pains and backaches, which some of our Home members, including myself and Peter, suffer from. We pray for you, too, that Jesus will give you great faith through His Word‚ and that you will also see wonderful healings in your own lives—either healing or the faith to hold on until the healing comes. You're wonderful—each one of you—and we love you so much! Thanks for being our prayer warriors!

Love, Mama

(To be continued!)