To those it concerns,

My name is Seiko I am 22 years old. I am a mother of one. I’ve had the privilege of being raised in the Family by loving parents and wonderful caregivers. From the age of 16 to 21, together with my parents I was in Sri Lanka to minister to the poor and needy. We believe that Love is the most important thing, and what better way to express Love than through our actions.

There are many who question their life in the Family but that is not the case with me. I LOVE this life very much, and I accept it as the life laid out for me. I am the youngest of my 4 brothers and sisters, all of whom decided to lead another path in life. Seeing them leave was the hardest thing for me for I loved them very much and looked up to them. I am grateful that they have gone on with their lives and chosen another lifestyle which better suits them, unlike some who speak derogatory things about us and our way of life. It bothers me to hear the accusations that are spoken about us by our vindictive former members. It is offensive and hurtful to those of us who are giving our all to a cause we believe is true and right. To put it bluntly they are saying that we parents abuse our children and the Family is an abusive environment to raise your children, that is just an absolute hoax. To the contrary, those who care for the children are far from being abusive – they are the most loving/caring teachers/caregivers and parents that I know of. If you want to talk about children being abused take a look at the public schools these days where there’s violence against teachers and peers against peers. It’s just horrible! –There’s NO love. Do you think I want my son growing up in that kind of an environment??? …I don’t think so. To put it plain and simple the Family is the BEST place to raise your children. I pray that one day these vindictive former members will come to their senses and realize how wrong they are in accusing us. I love this life and what the Family is…it’s a Family of Love. And I quote, “We ARE what we preach”.

Seiko is a second-generation member of the Family International.