If you had asked me on my sixteenth birthday, six years ago, what I would choose to do with my life, my choice would not have been to do what I’m doing right now. I was one of the many young people in The Family who wanted to experience a normal life, as far away as possible from the many restrictions that faced me daily.

I presently live in a Family Home in Taiwan, and have been living here for 1 year. I am involved in the many aspects of communal Family life, cooking, cleaning, teaching, etc. I have been teaching in the center for delinquent youth in Taipei for 10 months, and experience great fulfillment in seeing God’s Word change even the cruelest and hardest cases. The young people in the Family in Taipei direct and host a weekly youth outreach activity, the goals being to show the youth of Taiwan how Jesus can be a daily part of our lives, and give us something more to live for than the self-centered lifestyle built around Computer games, midnight motorcycle racing and plenty of other meaningless activities. There are several middle aged folks here who support our work, and who God is slowly changing and helping them in their personal lives as they leave their negative past behind and embrace His Word - the answer to all of the problems that we face.

I was born and raised in the Family, lived in China until I turned four, and was in Japan until the age of five. It was at that time that our family moved to Taiwan where I stayed until the age of seventeen. In June 2000, I moved to Romania, and lived there for three and a half years in Bacau and Bucharest.

It was during this period that I took some time to think about what I wanted to do with my life. After getting robbed in early September, 2000, of over half of all my clothes and personal belongings in the costal vacationing spot of Constanta, I realized how worthless and temporary these physical things really are. Jesus said, ‘Lay not up for yourselves treasures on earth, where thieves break through and steal.’ I now believe with all of my heart that “True happiness comes from Finding God’s love and bringing his life to others and making them happy.” - David Brandt Berg

I want to help others and make a difference in this world, not just lengthen the numbers of my ever increasing bank account (haven’t got one!). I Thank Jesus every single day of my life that This Family -my Family gives me a place to do just that.

The reason why I am writing this statement is because there are some intense individuals who have made it their personal goal to destroy my heritage - The Family. These have made it their business to slander and murder the lifestyles of people whom they have never even met.

I don’t have time for crude railings and violent words of threat and terror, simply because this kind of talk goes against everything I believe in. But for those of you who do, hear this:

The Family always has and will forever continue to be a safe and loving environment. Each and every person in our organization is constrained by the giving, unselfish, love of God, and thousands have been changed forever by this love.

I pray that you will take some time to think about what you are living for, and choose a pathway that gives life. Amen.

Sincerely,
Joseph Daniel McNally 22, Taiwan

Joseph Daniel McNally (22) is a second generation member of the Family International.