From Ana Tabita Bianchini, 19 years old

In light of the recent tragedy, and how much coverage the Family International is being given, I would like to tell you a bit about myself and upbringing. Firstly, my condolences go out to the Family and friends of both Angela Smith and Ricky Rodriguez. The shock and sadness I felt upon hearing of this tragedy soon turned to feelings of revolt as I watched ex members of The Family influence the media and press with their distorted, untrue and murder-favoring stories, in their attempts to malign and destroy the Family which is the lifestyle I have chosen.

While to me there is no connection between the acts of a disturbed murderer and my early years, some who grew up in the Family and later left seem to believe that there is a very close connection with the way children are raised and educated in the Family, believing all Family-born youths to be the products of “abuses,” and therefore unstable.

My name is Ana Tabita Bianchini, I am 19 and was born in the Family International, and spent the first six years of my life in a Family community in Brazil. I have many happy memories of those years, from early learning experiences, performing, playing with friends, and just general happy childhood memories. At that time, after dedicating themselves to being missionaries for 9 years my parents decided to pursue another lifestyle, so I spent the rest of my childhood years living a “normal” life.

The wonderful first years, and all the input and love we received in the Family showed in later years, when going to school & interacting with those from a different lifestyle. People often noted our facility at reaching out to others and socializing. My parents attribute this all to our early years in a Christian love-filled atmosphere.
During my years in the Family I was never abused, nor were any of my seven brothers or sisters. However going to a normal secular school, we suddenly found ourselves surrounded by abuse and harassment. My 12 year old brother for example was frequently harassed by a homosexual while at school. Violence was also a common happening at school, from student fights, and being beaten up by older children to watching a drug dealer murder the father of a school buddy. Scholastically things were also harder as there was much less attention, love and care, and learning was much more difficult.

My parents later divorced as is quite common nowadays, and we ended up living in a apartment, with our mother. As is to be expected it was a struggle, as she worked all day, and when we weren’t at school, our time was spent at home with a maid. Whereas in the Family a lot of help, support and attention is given to parents, & children.

Based on these, and many other similar experiences, when I turned 14, my sister and I decided to rejoin the Family. My experiences outside the Family served to convince me that the Family is indeed the best place to serve the Lord, experience life & do something worthwhile. The Family is also my place of choice to eventually raise my own children, whereas I would never think of having children outside the Family, having experienced firsthand what it is like.

Three years ago, my mother and siblings returned to the Family, having also decided that the Family is the best to raise children and serve the Lord. Both my parents are very thankful that we choose to pursue life in the Family, as they know without a shadow of doubt that the Family is the best place for us, where we will receive the most love, care and attention, and be able to make the most out of life.

This is my side of the story, and what I have experienced in the Family. I just bring this up, because of the many lies that have been brought up against the Family, by bitter ex-members, and journalists who do not know much about the Family, or life therein. My hope is that the truth will somehow make it into the news and not only the sensationalistic inventions of disturbed minds.

Ana Tabita Bianchini is a second-generation member of The Family International