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"FAMILY NEWS!"MO November 13, 1974 NO.318CDO
--MO's Worldwide Family Newsletter NO.25
Copyrighted November, 1974 by The Children of God P.O. Box 31, London WC2E 7LX, England or GPO Box 3141, San Juan, Puerto Rico 00936
Dear Family: Greetings in Jesus' Precious Name!
1. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR GOOD LETTERS, REPORTS, LOVE NOTES, PICTURES, GIFTS, ETC. We were very happy to hear all the good news from all of you recently.
2. WE WERE PARTICULARLY HAPPY TO HEAR OF YOUR RAPID NEAR RECOVERY, DEB, and your great new setup for really digging into your writing on family life and childcare at last! PTL! Thank You, Jesus! All things work together for good to them that love the Lord, even your recent illness which got you away from it all to get down to business in one of our most needy areas--our children and families.
3. WE ARE ALSO GLAD TO HEAR THE LORD HAS GIVEN YOU SUCH A GOOD STAFF of really good helpers and are very thankful that at last you're being properly cared for and so well assisted in your ministry. Please give them all our love! We were especially pleased to hear of your dear French housekeeper who takes such good care of you folks and sounds like the fulfillment of the dream I've always had since way back at TSC of older friends and relatives coming to live with us to help us directly in our ministry by assisting us in the things they know how to do so well like housekeeping, cooking, childcare, maintenance, gardening, farming, etc., which they have already learned and have done most of their lives and in which they can be such a help to us if they only would!
4. WE'RE NOT AT ALL DISAPPOINTED THAT YOU'RE UNABLE TO COME HERE to do all this, Deb, as this was our main idea in inviting you to come: to really get down to business and devote your fulltime to catching up on this desperately needed task of instructing our families and children in our own teachings and ways of living, loving and doing and thinking. Praise the Lord!
5. WE'RE ALSO VERY HAPPY ABOUT YOUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS AT THE BOOK FAIR in contacts and research on the same subject and your procurement of so many good supplies to help you with same. However, I was horrified to hear you had gone in your weakened condition, but I'm so thankful it didn't damage your health any more, but you even came back inspired and enthused to do an even better job! Praise the Lord!--And we're very glad that you're in such a good place that you like to do it.
6. WE ARE PARTICULARLY INTERESTED IN YOUR NEW IDEAS OF VERY BRIEF AND SIMPLE BOOKS FOR OUR CHILDREN, including the long-pled for, greatly condensed and simplified and highly illustrated children's summaries of MO Letters which we begged your first artist to do so long but for which he seemed to never get the burden, sad to say, although he's such a good children's illustrator and could have done such a great job if he just had the heart for it. It looks like now someone else is going to steal his crown while his God-given talent is being largely wasted by his lethargy and disinterest.
7. WHAT FAILURES SOME PEOPLE BECOME WHEN THEY MISS GOD'S BEST because they are either too lazy or unwilling or don't love Him or others enough to do it! He'll usually still try to use them somewhere in what little they're willing to do, but it seldom amounts to much when they're so disobedient and rebellious in the major needed thing God has called them to do.
8. APPARENTLY HE WAS ONLY INTERESTED IN DOING HIS OWN THING AND NOT GOD'S THING in spite of all our cooperative friendly persuasion. I wonder where he is and what he's doing now that's so important. You used to be able to work well with him or he with you. Maybe you could still persuade him to take an interest in what I feel is going to become one of our greatest of all ministries:
9. TO SAVE THE CHILDREN OF THE WORLD AND MAKE THEM USEFUL AND HELPFUL TO EACH OTHER AND GOD'S KINGDOM!--And I believe we can do it through this new literature you're working on and even more that we hope you can produce, such as just the very most abbreviated and simple gist of the most childish little summaries of merely the general ideas of each appropriate MO Letter written by someone who really loves, knows and understands children and their childlike language and simple words.
10. THEY NEED AN ARTIST WHO HAS A CHILDLIKE HEART AND A LOVE FOR CHILDREN AND WHO DESIRES TO HELP THEM UNDERSTAND THE WAYS AND THINGS OF THE LORD with the simplest childish illustrations, similar to the very simple little tiny line drawing of Laban in one of our latest Letters, "The Blob Story!" This is what I've been trying to get at and driving toward and trying to make someone understand for a long time:
11. WE DON'T NEED SLICK FANCY COLOURFUL EXPENSIVE PERFECTIONIST WORKS OF ART or masterpieces to illustrate either my Letters or other materials, especially for children, including ourselves-just something to very simply pictorialise in the easiest cartoon fashion the basic ideas of the words.
12. THESE NEW ILLUSTRATIONS HAVE BEEN SUCH A BLESSING TO OUR NEW LETTERS AND I'M SURE TO ALL THE KIDS AS WELL, as they liven and brighten up the whole Letter, given it humour and joy, and clarify and simplify its general ideas. I'm sure even the little children enjoy looking at these pictures and get some of the ideas, even if they can't read and the Letter has to be read or explained to them as they're shown the pictures along with the Letter.
13. IF SOMEONE COULD ONLY GET THE BURDEN TO REWRITE JUST THE BASIC IDEAS OF SOME OF THESE LETTERS BEST FOR CHILDREN IN THE CHILDREN'S OWN LANGUAGE AND EXTREMELY, SIMPLY ILLUSTRATED in very brief form it could be such a blessing to our own children and others all over the world, even to the uneducated and illiterate adults of the simpler peoples and tribes of the earth! What a wonderful thing it would be to put all of the Lord's Letters not only into their own languages but very simple childlike brief summaries with lots of cute, simple, easy-to-understand cartoons to depict their basic ideas.
14. WE'RE GOING MORE AND MORE THIS WAY AND GOD HIMSELF HAS GIVEN US A FEW SAMPLES OF HIS OWN! If your first still won't do it, maybe you can persuade someone else to do the job who will really have a heart for it. We remember that Josiah did some very good little paragraph-length summaries of a lot of the Letters when Publications was still at Chinbrook, and maybe he or Isaiah or someone could get the burden to finish them.
15. STEPHEN HIMSELF HAS DONE SOME GOOD THINGS ALONG THIS LINE and has a real childlike love for simple souls, and since he won't be very far away from you and needs to be kept busy with a fruitful ministry of writing as well as Mother, which he's pretty good at, maybe he would be interested and could do it, or at least try.
16. IT'LL PROBABLY TAKE SEVERAL OF YOU TO GET TOGETHER ON THIS PROJECT, and I suggest you start with what the Lord has already given in his own Letters to us all, but designed and written for children, like a few things the Lord has already given that I've heard the children already enjoy, like "Diamonds of Dust", "Sounds in the Night", "Squeeze Don't Jerk", "Heidi", "Snowman", "Bye, Bye Birdie", etc.
17. FOR THESE WE COULD USE ALL THE ILLUSTRATIONS WE ALREADY HAVE PLUS A LOT MORE of these very simple quick little one-column cartoons that only take a few lines, like Laban has done on "The Blob Story!" and others. Maybe if Laban ever has time you might even be able to interest him in helping you on some of these, or maybe we could send out a general appeal to all of our artists and potential artists to send us in some samples of their work and even try their hand at showing us what they could actually do with just one Letter they'd like to try.
18. COLOUR IS NICE AND MASTERPIECES ARE BEAUTIFUL, BUT WE NEED SPEED AND QUANTITY AND SIMPLICITY AND ROCK BOTTOM COSTS to develop the lit we need by the millions for the billions! Colour can come later or maybe on one or two trial things for the system and their kids to see if they'd sell, which might help pay expenses as well as to get the message to the world, and maybe your former artist would rather do that if he wants to.
19. BUT PEOPLE GOT ALONG WITHOUT COLOURED LIT, COLOUR MOVIES, COLOUR SLIDES OR EVEN COLOUR TV FOR MANY YEARS and some still do and enjoy it just as much, especially if it's a choice between colour or nothing at all! While the rich are refining their colour processes, the vast majority of the world have never even seen a black-and-white TV, and even those who have, it's still black and white!
20. SO OUR MAIN JOB IS TO GET OUT THE MESSAGE CLEARLY, QUICKLY, SIMPLY, EASILY, CHEAPLY AND IN ENORMOUS QUANTITIES FOR ALL and not just to entertain or satiate the spoiled eyes of the poor little rich kids who already have everything! They might even find our simple, crazy, cheap little black and white cartoon books a refreshing change from the swank, glossy, colourful, luxuries they're used to!
21. POORKID MAG AND A FEW OTHERS ARE AT LEAST A START and have already proven themselves very popular, even in such unexpected places as communist Poland, of all things! Why don't you artist and simple-minded writers get busy and give it a whirl and send us your samples!
22. MAYBE YOU COULD ALL WORK ON THE PROJECT AND LITTLE TEAMS ALL OVER THE WORLD DO DIFFERENT LETTERS EVEN IN DIFFERENT LANGUAGES! MAYBE EVEN SOME OF THE CHILDREN COULD HELP YOU with their drawings and childish explanations! Maybe you could put Little Joy and some others like her on your staffs and get their reactions and counsel!
23. WHATEVER WE DO WE MUST DO QUICKLY, AS WE HAVEN'T MUCH TIME OR FREEDOM LEFT! Tomorrow's too late, and it's almost too late now, but may God have mercy on us and give us a little more time! I begged for this clear back at TSC years ago, but so far we've still only made a few feeble stabs at it compared to what we oughtta be doing!
24. SO WHILE YOU'RE WRITING CHILDCARE AND FAMILY LETTERS TO THEIR MOTHERS AND FATHERS, MAYBE YOU COULD GET THE BURDEN ON YOUR HEART TO REALLY DO SOMETHING BIG FOR THE CHILDREN THEMSELVES, TOO, LIKE MO COMIC STRIPS, etc.--Amen? But if this particular project is too much to add to your present burdens, please don't worry about it until you can. Maybe we could call for volunteers in other parts of the world to help.
25. YOUR IDEA OF LANGUAGE TEACHING TAPES too would even be good for our adults, as well as other tapes for children which could be musical, amusing, entertaining and interesting to children at the same time as being educational and instructional.--And I really mean it about getting some children to help you with the job, as most of the rest of us have had too much education, know too much, use too big words and too many complicated ideas and are too verbose, long, drawnout and lengthy, like me!
26. AS WESLEY ONCE SAID, HE ALWAYS PREACHED TO THE CHILDREN SO ALL COULD UNDERSTAND! Read Jesus' own little word-pictures in the Bible if you want to see and hear the soul of brevity and simplicity with oodles of colourful illustrations!
27. TO ME, OUR ARTISTS ARE NOW SOME OF OUR MOST VALUABLE PERSONNEL! You'll someday soon even be able to get along without me, but I don't think any of our lit will ever be able to get along well without more art work! It doesn't even have to be what others may call art-it need only be crazy, simple little childish cartoons to illustrate the points, like some of Jesus' childlike little stories.
28. I GUESS I HAD TO GET SOME EDUCATION TO KNOW AT LEAST A LITTLE ABOUT A LOT TO HELP EVERYBODY with something and teach a little of everything in order to start a whole new society, culture and nation. But now some of you simpler minds oughtta try to take over and make it easier for the little ones, as most of my Letters are too long, involved, detailed, complicated and rambling, except what God has given directly!
29. BUT OUR SIMPLE POEMS, HOLY HOLES, ETC.--THESE ARE GOD'S OWN IDEAS ON HOW TO TALK TO LITTLE CHILDREN, and have already proven popular with them, so we should follow His example.--Amen? Praise the Lord! God bless you!
30. SO WE'RE PERFECTLY HAPPY, DEB, with your staying right there where you are and wouldn't think of disturbing you now that you're really rolling on what you ought to be doing! We don't even need a brief visit! We'd rather see you keep rolling on what you're doing now than to interrupt you to interrupt us with what we're doing, too! In fact, there wouldn't even be room here for the staff and equipment you have there, so forget it!
31. WE WERE ONLY TRYING TO GET YOU GOING, and since our Letter has already accomplished this and you're already at it, we wouldn't think of distracting you, much less straining your health any more with another move. So please stay put and keep putting out a good output! But don't try to do everything at once! Don't try to work on five books at once or even one book all at once!
32. WE'VE FOUND THE BEST WAY TO DO IT IS PAGE BY PAGE, LETTER BY LETTER, LESSON BY LESSON OR CHAPTER BY CHAPTER! The minute you get each short segment finished in print-ready form, shoot us a xerox copy for our opinion and we'll try to get it back to you as quick as we can. But don't even wait for that if it takes too long, because we've already got more than we can read even of your own stuff! But we would like to see yours, or at least glance over it, skim it, see the illustrations and the general format, cover, title etc., before it's printed, if possible, in case we have any suggestions.
33. YOUR SHOCKING STATEMENT THAT REALLY RAISED MY HACKLES AND MADE ME WANT TO ROAR AT THE WHOLE REV. WAS YOUR QUOTE: "LACK OF HELP AND TRAINED PERSONNEL BECAUSE NOBODY WANTS THE TRAINING AS THEY FEEL THAT GETTING INVOLVED WITH THE CHILDREN WILL CAUSE THEM TO BE OUT OF THE EXCITING THINGS OF THE REV.," which is one of the most ridiculous things I ever heard! Our families and children, as recently written in "What Is That in Thy Hand?" ARE the Revolution and the most exciting things that are happening in it!
34. BEARING BABIES AND HAVING CHILDREN IS THE GREATEST EXPERIENCE IN THIS NATURAL LIFE, THE CREATION OF NEW ETERNAL SOULS FOR THE KINGDOM OF GOD! It is just as exciting as having spiritual babies, and their training is just as important, if not more so, as we can start it from the very beginning and not have to wait until the world has almost ruined them so that we have to wash their filthy brains first before we can even start filling them with God's good, clean Water of the Word!
35. WITH OUR PHYSICAL BABIES WE CAN START FROM SCRATCH AND SAVE AT LEAST HALF THE BATTLE and we ought to be producing the world's most wonderful children, our greatest, most effective and most impressive sample and testimony to the whole world!
36. THE ONLY PEOPLE WHO EVER THOUGHT CHILDREN WEREN'T EXCITING NEVER HAD ANY or must never have even seen any, as to me they're the most exciting little things in the whole world, and I love'em and I love to be around them and surrounded by them and busy teaching and training them as I was with you when you were small and still am with all of you crazy little kids who do such stupid things sometimes! But that's all a part of the process of learning by trial and error as well as instruction.
37. QUITE OFTEN YOU DO SOMETHING REALLY WONDERFUL THAT MAKES UP FOR IT ALL AND IS THE REAL PAYOFF THAT MAKES IT WORTH IT ALL, LIKE A LOT OF YOU ARE DOING RIGHT NOW WITH YOUR TERRIFIC NEW LITTLE LOCAL PUBLICATIONS AND YOUR TREMENDOUS MUSICAL HITS in different parts of the world. You are terrific, and we constantly marvel at your accomplishments and know it's gotta be God! Hallelujah! That Paris album is a beauty and the Brazilian album a real bang! Even though we can't understand their languages we still love the music and have tried'em out on some of our young friends who can't understand'em either but like the music too, a language that all can understand anywhere! Hallelujah!
38. GOD BLESS YOU DEAR MUSICIANS! YOU'RE REALLY COOKIN' WITH GAS NOW, AND THEY'RE REAL GASSERS, FILLED WITH THE GAS OF HIS HOLY SPIRIT! Did you know that the Greek word for " spirit" comes from their word for "air" which is a gas or combination of gasses, some of them very explosive? So keep on exploding with the Spirit! Hallelujah! God bless you! We love you everyone!
39. SORRY WE'VE HAD TO SCOLD YOU SOMETIMES TO KEEP YOU ON THE RIGHT SOUNDTRACK, but that's part of my job, isn't it?--Amen? So thanks for taking it and trying to do better, and you really are from all we're hearing now! Thanks for those gorgeous tapes! We love'em! Keep'em coming! And while we're on the subject of music, have you seen Northeast U.S.' Ben and Ruth's beautiful little printed libretto of their thrilling new rock opera, "Flee as a Bird!" with "Harper Davidson & Co.", with Isaiah, Jaziz, Joash, Jabesh, Rainbow, Straightway, Jubal, Boaz, Romans, Elias and Andrew and Amaziah, and recorded by Telessar?
40. THEY CLAIM SOME OF IT EVEN CAME FROM THE WRITINGS OF SOME NUT CALLED MO, and it was beautifully illustrated by some other nut called Nimshi North--another real gasser! Hallelujah! However, as so often happens, they forgot to put their address on it or proper copyright address on either cover, title page or back of title page as required by law!--It wasn't even on the back!
41 PLEASE LET'S NOT ANY OF US FAIL IN YOUR LOCAL PUBLICATIONS OF ANY KIND TO GIVE CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE AND PROTECT OUR STUFF FROM BEING STOLEN by somebody else, as well as giving folks some kind of an address to which they can write for more or apply for help. I don't know how many times I'm going to have to say this before you all do it, but we still keep getting copies of real good stuff with either no copyright or no address or no both! God help us!
42. WE'VE ALL BEEN GUILTY AT SOME TIME OR OTHER OF THESE OVERSIGHTS, BUT IT'S ABOUT TIME WE LEARNED, as we're beginning to hit the bigtime with some of our music and publications, and some of the Devil's own are bound to try to steal our stuff sooner or later, and if you don't put the copyright address on there and in the right place on the right page or cover, they can steal it and you have absolutely no protection or way to recover it and it'll be lost and gone forever, especially if they copyright it instead!
43. YOU WON'T EVEN BE ABLE TO USE IT YOURSELF, THEN, OR PRINT IT OR RECORD IT OR SELL IT OR EVEN SING AND PLAY IT ON RADIO OR TV WITHOUT THEIR PERMISSION! My God, folks! Let's get with it and protect our stuff from the Enemy, please! Better blessings next time! I'm sorry, Deb, but you know me: I get off on one sidetrack or a bypath picking daisies and get a little off the main track sometimes and just got to say a few words to the kids on the side!--Or maybe that is the main track, huh?
44. BUT ANYHOW, AS YOU WELL KNOW, I SPENT A LOT OF TIME WITH YOU KIDS WHEN YOU WERE SMALL. I was also away a lot, but when I was home I spent all the time I could with you, and even took you with me on my travels when I could, and constantly taught you myself when we were together, including a one-to-two-hour Bible story nearly every night, usually translated into your own words of simple language and acted out for your amusement while trying to help you get the point which you seemed to really enjoy!
45. THEN WE'D TURN ON THOSE BIBLE RECORDS FOR YOU TO GO TO SLEEP BY, and we'd always know when you were asleep when nobody got up to change the record again, you were so fascinated by God's Word! Hallelujah! That's the way it ought to be in every family and that's the way every one of you ought to be doin' it, only now we ought to have our own cassettes of our own Letters, too!
46. SIMON PETER'S WORKING ON THIS RIGHT NOW AND HAS ALREADY DONE A BEAUTIFUL JOB on a few of his favourites, which are terrific for when you're too tired to read'em or read'em to your kids! His cassettes never get tired or tiring and I could listen to 'em all night or sometimes all morning when I first wake up! They're a real blessing, comfort and encouragement and he reads them so well, slowly, understandably, expressively, with real feeling and love and humility! PTL!
47. SO THEY COULD BE A TREMENDOUS BLESSING EVEN TO THE BLIND, INVALIDS, HOSPITALS, ETC. AS WELL AS OUR OWN KIDS AND LITTLE KIDS. I think he's found his calling and a great new ministry and I hope he sticks to it until we've got a real library of these wonderful tapes for use by all!--I know we sure enjoy them! We love them, and we know you will, too, as soon as you hear 'em!
48. BETTER PUT YOUR ORDERS IN NOW AND BE THE FIRST IN YOUR BLOCK TO GET ONE!--You'll have a real prize wanted by all! Praise God! God bless you, Simon! Keep'em comin'! They're a dream come true! I was gonna try it myself one time, but you do much better than I ever could because I get so excited, loud, violent, and bombastic, that I even distort the sound! Whereas your voice is so sweet and restful it really soothes our jangled nerves and feeds our souls and quiets our spirits and strengthens our hearts! Please don't get discouraged!
49. SOMEBODY FINALLY APPRECIATES YOU!--THE LORD AND ME AND A LOT OF OTHERS, AND MILLIONS MORE WILL IF YOU KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK and walk and not faint till you can run and not be weary!--And produce a whole lot more than you're doing now! Tell'em, I said to give you a studio and some really good equipment and all the time you need to produce all the Letters you like, and right now! We can hardly wait for the next one!
50. PLEASE PICK THE ONES THAT REALLY INSPIRE YOU AND YOU LIKE BEST so you can render them with genuine sincere feeling and love and real expression from your own heart through that beautiful clear melodious voice of yours that is music to our ears! GBY! So you don't even have to come at all, Deb, as long as you keep on doing what you're supposed to be doing and what we'd lots rather you'd keep doing than coming! Thanks, anyhow!
51. NOW THAT DEB'S TURNED OVER THE ACTUAL OPERATION OF THE CHILDCARE DEPARTMENT TO YOU, RACHEL, to direct while she writes, we know you can do a good job of it 'cause you've really been doing it for a long time anyhow since she left, and worked with her on it for years before that, Praise God! So you really ought to know what you're doing by this time, especially since you have two of your own, which is the biggest childcare education of all!--Take it from me!--I ought to know!--We had four!
52. WE REALLY HAD ONE POWERPACKED BUNCH OF KIDS AND THEY REALLY KEPT US HOPPING, AND MOM DID A TREMENDOUS JOB even when I wasn't around, as she still is and still does in her own inimitable way! Amen?
53. EMANUELE AND RACHEL, YOU NOW HAVE VERY IMPORTANT RESPONSIBILITIES AS KING AND QUEEN OF ALL ITALY!--You see, the Lord has promoted you!--You used to be only a Duke and a Duchess! Everything is always better in the Kingdom of God!--Amen? Hallelujah! So do as you feel led.
54. WE LOVE EMANUELE DEARLY AND WE THINK HIS IDEA OF HELPING IN SOUTH AMERICA WITH YOU SOME DAY MIGHT BE GREAT after you've got Italy on its feet and someone to take your places! Of course by that time you might have to run a whole Revolution and go wherever you want where the Lord leads, like we do!--Hallelujah!
55. YOU'VE BOTH DONE A TREMENDOUS JOB THERE AND I KNOW THE LORD IS BLESSING you for it and the kids will love you forever as you enjoy the eternal rewards with them! Glad you had such a good time at the Fair and good visit with Deb at the timely arrival of my Letters on childcare.--The Lord really times things, doesn't He?--Hallelujah!
56. GLAD YOU LIKED THE IDEA OF JETH GOING TO PARIS, TOO, AS THEY REALLY NEED HIM AND HIS EXCELLENT ORGANISATIONAL ABILITY with big blobs, and he's now even learning how to decentralise them! He should!--He's had plenty of experience at it, God bless him!
57. HE'S REALLY DONE A WONDERFUL JOB and I'm sorry I have to sock it to him so often, but he does make a few mistakes like all of us, including me! Only I get my spankings straight from the Lord and some of 'em are really rough and even much worse than I give Jeth and some of the rest of you!
58. PRAISE GOD FOR HIS FAITHFULNESS IN TRYING TO KEEP US ALL IN LINE and I'm really only passing on what He shows me, because I'm just as stupid as you are if not more so, and He really has a time keeping me in line!--With Maria's help!
59. AS YOU CAN SEE, MOM, WE ARE PUTTING YOU BACK ON THE MAILING LIST herewith, or the parts we think we can trust you with not to spread around, which may not be much since you're in such a habit of sharing everything with everybody! It's just your naturally generous nature to want everybody to enjoy it, but when it endangers our security it's not very smart!
60. SO THINK YOU'RE DOING ABSOLUTELY THE RIGHT THING AND JUST WHAT WE WANTED YOU TO DO ALL ALONG in going back to the cruiser and into seclusion to write with Steve and your staff and the Lord, and not too far from Deb so you can help her if she needs it, and not too close to her so you won't get in her hair too much and neither of you get anything done!
61. SO EACH OF YOU PLEASE TRY TO STICK TO YOUR OWN KNITTIN'!--
Amen? You too, Steve!--Your job is still Mom as well as all your other good work on the Letters and kids and witnessing, etc. We like your work, and some of your productions are really good! Your little stickfigure comic strips are really cute and I think even the little kids would love'em, so keep up the good work! Maria's already written you our ideas on the rest.
62. STICK TO YOUR JOBS AND KEEP MOM BUSY AT HERS! We loved the Children's Tape that you made and the part that you and the girls made, too. Thanks so much! It's so good to hear from you! You're one of the most faithful reporters and always keep us posted on everything that's going on that you know about. We can also hardly wait to hear the actual tape of that beautiful "Flee as a Bird!".--Does anybody know where we can get one?
63. I PREFER YOUR CONDENSATIONS OR SUMMARIES, STEVE, RATHER THAN THE DIRECT QUOTE COMBINATIONS OF EXCERPTS, and I think they'd take you less time and be simpler and more concise and easier to do and more understandable for perfect strangers to our words. We've already suggested in this Letter that you help on some of the Children's letters, so thanks.
64. YOU WERE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT, MOM, ABOUT THE MINISTERS NEEDING TO GET TOGETHER more in prayer, harmony and unity and separately from the LEC first and certainly before they meet with the LEC! God bless you! You're usually in tune in the Spirit on spiritual things, but sometimes you get a little too much embroiled in other things, so we're very glad you're getting away from everything to do the writing on marriage and families so needed.
65. YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT ABOUT ALL THINGS WORKING TOGETHER FOR GOOD, since you're doing what we would much rather have you do wherever you are! It certainly is great that you've both learned French so well, for as Ben Franklin once said, "A man is worth as many men as the languages he can speak!"--And he knew what he was talking about because he, too, was an ambassador to France for some time!
66. WE HEAR GOOD REPORTS FROM ALMOST EVERYWHERE YOU'VE BEEN THAT YOU'VE BEEN A REAL BLESSING AND ALWAYS AN ENCOURAGEMENT AND HELP and we're looking forward to seeing xeroxes of some of your new print--ready copies of your latest letters which we're hearing a lot about but haven't seen yet. I suggest you counsel with Deb and Steve and those there on such details as what cities you should visit and where you should have your food folders sent from. As far as I'm concerned, the more decentralised we are the better!
67. SOUNDS LIKE YOUR VISIT TO LONDON ACCOMPLISHED A LOT OF GOOD. I know they can all stand a lot of good motherly advice! You've been through the mill with me and certainly oughtta know what you're talking about! So glad you all had such good fellowship together there and wish we could see you too, but I believe we're all better off where we belong and will get our jobs done better, too. We still think the idea of your parking somewhere not too far but not too near Deb is good. Glad you still like our Letters and Steve is such a help and that everything is working out so good for us all!--Praise the Lord! God bless and keep you all in His Will!--And He will if you will!
68. HO, WE WERE SO GLAD TO HEAR FROM YOU AGAIN after so long a time, as it still seems to be a rare event and we really miss your letters and feel very bad when you don't write. I was afraid maybe something was wrong and that you were hurt at me for something I've said or done, but I believe I said what was best and needed to be said as close as the Lord has been able to show me.
69. SO I'M GLAD THAT YOU'VE LIKED THE RECENT LETTERS AND THAT YOU FEEL THEY WERE WHAT WAS NEEDED AND YOU'RE SETTING THE EXAMPLE BY MAKING YOUR OWN COLONY A SAMPLE! You certainly oughtta be able to do it, as you've always been a pioneer and lived by faith and started a lot of new works in many places, including London, so it's nothing new for you!
70 YOU'RE AN OLD PRO LIKE YOUR DAD AT PIONEERING, AND GOD ALWAYS SEEMS TO BLESS YOU and make you a blessing even when I haven't always got the faith for what you're doing! You may bring our dear Southern friends around yet, and it looks like you are, so I'm very happy to hear it, and your last visit sounded like a real success!--PTL! GBY!
71. IT LOOKS LIKE YOU NOW MAY BE LEFT HOLDING THE BAG IN LONDON AS YOU CONTINUE THE WORK YOU STARTED there, while Jeth moves on to Paris after having gotten you pretty well organised. Your new moves sound good, especially getting your wife and family in with you more, as they are one of your first responsibilities and you must be faithful to those precious little lives the Lord has placed so honouringly in your care.
72. I BELIEVE YOU'RE THE SPIRITUAL LEADERSHIP LONDON NOW NEEDS TO FINISH DECENTRALISING, with each ministry becoming more indigenous and with smaller, more efficient staffs, more reasonable housing and each doing a better job in its field, including your own.
73. ESTHER, YOU HAVE ALSO BEEN DOING BETTER AT WRITING MORE FREQUENTLY AND REPORTING MORE FAITHFULLY and some of your problems could probably have been avoided if you had apprised us sooner of what was going on, including the state of the children and the Childcare Colony as well as yours and its needs. You have now painted a very clear picture of the whole situation and what is actually going on.
74. WE ARE NEARLY FURIOUS TO SEE THAT THE OFFICE COLONY SEEMS TO THINK IT SHOULD BE SUPPORTED BY THE LITTLE CHILDREN and the extremely hardworking Childcare staff, instead of the Office supporting their own children, and we certainly agree that some of it ought to be decentralised now and some of the children given back to their parents in theirs parents' own Colonies where possible.
75. THE SMALL FAMILY COLONY IS STILL OUR IDEAL WITH EACH CARING FOR ITS OWN CHILDREN where at all possible--and it is possible if they try, and if they have to they will! Also, from what we have heard from all directions, Jeremy and the Band are now doing almost nothing and nothing is being done with them, despite the fact we risked the wrath of Paris to sacrifice some of them in the highly-touted cause of becoming a smash hit in England!
76. AS FAR AS WE CAN NOW SEE, LONDON IS TOO BUSY WITH OTHER THINGS TO KEEP JEREMY'S BAND BUSY. So since they have so many children themselves and this would take a terrific load off the Childcare Colony and supply Italy with the bands they're begging for and where they can keep them busy full time with no end of invitations and usefulness, maybe we'd better send the whole kaboodle with their kids to Rach and let her put'em to work where maybe they belong for the moment until England is ready for them and able to use them as they should be used and has some place to use them!
77. ITALY IS CERTAINLY MUCH BETTER EQUIPPED TO HANDLE THEM AND SEEMS A MUCH RIPER FIELD FOR THEIR USE.--MAYBE ENGLAND'S HAD ITS DAY! It look like Jeremy was making even more of a hit in France then he now is in England after months of opportunities to do so! It's certainly not Jeremy's and the Band's fault, but since England is not using him and Paris has now learned to do without him, why not send them all to Italy where maybe Rach can use them more fruitfully?
78. THEY CERTAINLY DON'T SEEM TO BE ACCOMPLISHING MUCH IN ENGLAND and surely not as much as was claimed by you, dear Jeth, they were going to accomplish! So far it looks like we certainly made a mistake there!--Where are the rock concerts, big bookings, smash hits, and hit records they were supposed to make there? We haven't really heard of any except one or two festivals last Summer!
79. SO IT LOOKS TO US FROM HERE LIKE JEREMY'S POOR BAND IS REALLY WASTING ITS TIME THERE, except for the press publicity they got! Why not get'em off to Italy as soon as you can if Rach still wants'em? Just be sure you don't send'em down there without clearance from her first like you have quite a few others!
80. AS FOR YOU, HO AND ESTHER, WITH JETH LEAVING FOR PARIS AND LONDON DECENTRALISING AND NEEDING YOUR LEADERSHIP NOW, don't you feel it's best for you to stay there together with your children and take care of your family and each other while you oversee what's left of London before what may eventually prove to become a complete withdrawal of much of our work from there, since you have such a family, HO, and should be with'em as much as you can?
81. JOSH WAS THE FIRST TO VOLUNTEER FOR FIELD DUTY AS A ROVING TROUBLE-SHOOTER AND FIELD SUPERINTENDENT to visit the Colonies and strengthen the brethren and see how they do and at which he seems to be very good and always inspiring and encouraging and enthusiastic as an inspirationalist and good teacher as well as practical and knowledgeable about housing, witnessing, etc., and has no personal family or children to worry about.
82. SO WHY CAN'T HE HIT THE ROAD AND DO WHAT I TRIED TO PERSUADE HIM TO DO THREE YEARS AGO AND VISIT THE COLONIES in the manner I outlined in such detail, even planning his schedule and going over the things he should check on and what he should do daily on each two or three day visit!--What about it, Josh?--Are you ready?--And who have you got to take your place there to take care of the Babes and the Club and the witnessing there in London?
83. NOW THAT YOU NO LONGER HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT TAPING AND HAVE DONE SUCH A GOOD JOB IN GETTING SIMON PETER STARTED ON IT, why couldn't he direct the Taping Department, since he's obviously had a lot of experience in show business and recording himself and seems to know something about it?
84. SOUNDS LIKE YOU MADE A GOOD MOVE ALSO IN SENDING YOUR MO ED DEPARTMENT TO THE A'DAM FARM where they should be able to operate just as well, if not better than before!--PTL!--God bless'em! We like their classes and lessons and tests, but we didn't think you were very smart on security in putting your picture on that last one without permission after it had already been approved as it was! How did you manage that and why?
85. THAT WAS A VERY SERIOUS MISTAKE AND A VERY POOR PICTURE at that, to say the least!--And to say the worst, it made you look like a New York gangster and the domineering racketeers they accuse us of being! Whatever inspired you, Josh, to do such a thing?--It certainly wasn't me or the Lord!--And you'd better just hope and pray you don't get a slug in your back for exposing yourself like that to the public and our enemies!
86. WAS IT PRIDE AND A DESIRE FOR RECOGNITION and adulation by your followers? I'm sorry to have to say this, but it's the truth and you broke one of our strictest security rules is doing it, as well as sneaking something into our publications without permission or approval! We hope you'll see the error of your ways, as you have about your logs!
87. I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY TIMES WE HAVE SAID NOTHING SHOULD BE PUBLISHED FROM LONDON OR THE ROYAL FAMILY IN ANY QUANTITY AS REPRESENTATIVE OF US OR THEM OR OUR INTERNATIONAL WORK WITHOUT OUR OWN PERSONAL FINAL APPROVAL before printing, as so many bad mistakes have been made along this line before! What the other kids do in their own Colonies is pretty much their own business and more or less represents only their own Colony or Regional HQ and can be understood and forgiven even if it's a mistake, as each has got to try to learn to stand on his own and produce his own, and they're doing a great job of it!
88. BUT WHAT GOES OUT FROM GHQ REPRESENTS ME PERSONALLY AND OUR VERY TOP LEADERSHIP AND THE WHOLE RF AND OUR ENTIRE INTERNATIONAL WORK AND SHOULD BE CLEARED WITH ME ALWAYS BEFORE PRINTING, or at least certainly by permission! Jeth, you've done some of this, too, several times and some of them were a mess and a very poor representation of what should be our very top quality from the Head itself! Your last one was good but it could have stood some improvements if you'd checked it out with us before printing. As it was, you never even asked, much less submitted it to us for our approval!
89. SO WATCH YOUR STEP, BOYS!--SOME OF YOU ARE OVERSTEPPING YOUR AUTHORITY! I don't want to see or know everything you do, God forbid! But I certainly want to see and know what you're writing or printing that represents the whole Work as a whole and can reflect on its leadership and all of us for your foolishness, goofs and boners! So please don't let it happen again.
90. JETH, HO AND JOSH, YOU THREE HAVE ALSO BEEN THREE OF OUR BIGGEST BLOB BUILDERS, but I've tried not to mention you by name and humiliate you before the whole Revolution for repeating your performance all over again in London after God and I have repeatedly destroyed all of your previous blobs and tried to get you to stop your blob-building and decentralise instead! So I hope this is the last time I ever have to tell any one of you to stop blob-building, as you certainly should have learned your lesson by now!
91. WE'RE CERTAINLY GLAD TO SEE THAT YOU'RE NOW TRYING TO TAKE IT APART and disperse its various parts on their own! But I just hope you realise that some parts like the children and Childcare Colony cannot be expected to completely take care of themselves and help support you too, when they have many other needs of their own!
92. I HEARTILY AGREE WITH THE SCRIPTURE THAT THE PARENTS SHOULD LAY BY FOR THE CHILDREN AND NOT THE CHILDREN FOR THEIR PARENTS! You certainly must see by now that the Childcare Colony as well as some of these other weaker departments will have to have help and be subsidised at least partially with their fair share of the budgeted portion of your proportionate overall International Office income, especially when they're caring for your own children and the children of your own staff whom you ought to be supporting instead of expecting them to support you!
93. YOU ALL HAVE HAD A TENDENCY SOMETIMES TOWARD BLOBBERY and often been unable to say no to many who wanted and did come to sit down comfortably within your nice soft blob without really being needed and essential topnotch top personnel, which is all that should be at the top!
94. SO PLEASE DON'T LET ME CATCH YOU REVERTING TO THIS AGAIN! Clean up your own backyard first, and then check on your neighbour's and see that they've cleaned out theirs too!--And don't keep anyone or any place that you don't absolutely have to have!
95. ANY GHQ IS NOT A RESORT! IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE A FAIRLY WELL-HIDDEN HARD CORE AND NERVE CENTER of the whole body like the brain, and it's a very sensitive situation and small space which cannot tolerate any brain tumours who don't belong there within the hard shell of your skull with no room to waste! So dig 'em out and get rid of'em if you wanna be able to think straight and keep the body alive and coordinated and doing its job!--Amen?
96. IT LOOKS TO US, ESTHER, LIKE ABOUT 26 OUT OF YOUR 31 CHILDREN SHOULD HAVE BEEN THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE INTERNATIONAL OFFICE, so I suggest that you see they have them taken care of before they leave, or you, Ho, take over and see it's done and they get their fair share of their necessary support! You see, Esther and Adria, it pays to advertise!--You should have done it sooner and it's your own fault for not letting me know by reporting to me regularly!--Amen?
97. WE LOVE YOU AND YOU CHILDCARE WORKERS ARE DOING ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT AND TREMENDOUS JOBS IN OUR WHOLE MINISTRY, as well as one of the toughest and most trying and difficult!--But also it's one of the most rewarding, so keep up the good work!--God bless you!--I love you!
98. AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST, FAITHIE, YOU'VE BEEN AS GOOD AS GOLD LATELY, so we haven't had to scold you for a long time and you seem to be doing a great job now!--Only we haven't heard from you for a long time either--two months!
99. PLEASE LET JACQUES STAY A KING WHERE HE CAN HELP US! Thanks to Tema, Mary Magdalene, Martha, Jacques and all of you for all your good letters. We already wrote you others or will soon. Thanks for the check and reports, Jeth.--You did well! Address Book is OK if you cut out all London area Street addresses if you don't want trouble!--Use Box!--And ROLL! Praise the Lord! God bless you! Thanks! I love you! Love, Dad.
100. P.S. THANKS ALSO FOR SOME OF YOUR GEEEORGYOUS PHOTOS! Please keep'em comin'! My walls aren't full yet! I LOVE you!--And keep those "Local Pubs" open and rollin' too!--They're beeeoootiful! God bless you all! You're doin' great! Thank You, Jesus!--Today the World!--Tomorrow the Universe!--Hallelujah?--All glory be to God!--Amen?--PTL!--ILY!
Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family}
