My name is Leilani J. Stevens. I was born in Bangladesh, 1988, and have been living in The Family my whole life. Since my 7th birthday I have been living in Ukraine with my parents. We established a charitable work in the Kiev area where we lived, of ministering to old folks, orphans, Chernobyl victims, bringing in humanitarian aid, etc. For as far back as I can remember, I have participated in shows and programs for these types of people, as well as special Christmas, Easter or other holiday shows for hospitals, schools and summer camps. My earliest memories are from living in a large “combo” in Belgium with about 100 residents. I remember the schedule being very organized, being in a group of children my age and having a wonderful, fun teacher who would go out of her way to make sure we had everything we needed and were well cared for.

Since moving to Ukraine I’ve had many opportunities to meet very needy people and have been able to not only help provide their basic physical needs such as food and clothing, but also to help encourage them and minister to them on a deeper level. I’ve witnessed many lives changed for the better and greatly enjoy the rush that comes from making someone’s world a better place to live, and helping them to have an improved outlook on life.

Some of my friends in the neighborhood where I lived in Kiev had come from very broken families where the father was a drunk, who beat them when they were at home, and the mother was almost always away at work, so they would stay outside and hang out with their friends for as much of their free time as they could afford. I was very impressed that most of them didn’t let it affect their ability to socialize and play with the other kids. They didn’t gripe about their life, but rather chose to think on the positive side of life, enjoy their friends, study hard and earn good grades.

When reading some of these statements by former Family members, who were supposedly “abused” while growing up in the Family, I can’t help but wonder how factual their whining is – and how much is just a fabrication of the imagination. I’ve personally never witnessed such a thing, not even by any stretch of my imagination.

In my personal family, our family ties are strong and I’m very proud of the fact that even though not all of us have chosen the same lifestyle, each one leads a respectable, constructive life – and that though there may be a few differences here and there, we all love each other and don’t let those things come between us. Each of us has enjoyed a happy, eventful childhood; many of the [non Family-member] friends that I have made have expressed that they wished they had been blessed with the life that I lead. I’ve never felt embarrassed or “inferior” about my upbringing, only thankful to my parents to the way they’ve nurtured and raised me.

I have often stayed with my oldest sister, who is married and has 5 of her own children, ages 6-14. They’re all bright students, are great at socializing and each one of them has a keen sense of humor. If you were to meet them you would be able to assess right away that they’ve never been subject to any type of abuse whether physical, mental, spiritual, or anything for that matter! Their parents are loving, caring, and considerate of their children’s needs.

I feel very privileged to have grown up in the Family learning how to give, learning how to work with others, learning how to care for others. Why someone would want to put an end to a world-wide, multi-faceted ministry of helping other people improve their lives and make this world a brighter, more cheery place to live is a bit hard to fathom, but I’ll let them sort that out with Lord when they are called to face Him and give account for every word they’ve said and every deed they’ve done. There are still many poor, hopeless and directionless people in this world, and as for myself, I’m going to continue to try and do whatever I can whether in a big or small way, to help them out.

Leilani Stevens is a second-generation member of The Family International