My name is Santiago de la Torre, 18, Spanish national, Presently FM.

It wasn’t but yesterday night that I decided to raise my voice and speak out for what I believe is right, after reading the comments that some of my friends posted on this web page.

Now, you might be thinking, what does this guy have to say about the Family, he isn’t even a full time missionary, nor has he been living all his life in a home of The Family; but that same thing is what makes me write this article, because I’ve been living a system life in the world till last year, and I’ve gotten to experience a few times how the life in a home is. I know both sides of the coin, and right now even with all the fuss that the media is making around the topic of Ricky and Angela’s death, and the apostates about The Family being an abusive environment, if I had to choose between both lifestiles, I’ll choose the Family.

Our apostates say that the Family is not a good place to be raised in, but I tell you, I wish I had been born inside a Family home, for the only thing that I have received from the system is rejection. I was psychologically abused at school by my classroom mates since I was 7, till the age of 10; there even came a time when I came back home crying everyday because of the insults and humiliation I received from other kids, and I definitely was scared of going another day back to school to face the same treatment over and over again. I would be still traumatized right now if it wasn’t for the love of Jesus in my life. And I was definitely not bullied because I was weird or anything, just because of the simple fact that I wasn’t as evil-minded as them, and they saw me as an easy prey, besides the fact that I was good at school, and you know that “that kind”, are normally those who are bullied. Just recently a kid in Spain commited suicide because of that… and we are not starting a whole campaign to prevent kids from going through the same thing that I went through.

On the other side, all that I have ever received from The Family is love, and acceptance. No one has ever mocked me, no one has insulted me or caused me any harm, unlike in the system. The only and true friends I’ve ever had are in the Family. They are the only ones, along with the Lord, that have been by my side and have helped me to solve the problems I’ve had recently.

The only feeling that I have towards the Family and its members is one of great and deep gratitude.

I have also been at different homes on a visit, sometimes for 3 weeks, and I’ve met a lot of other young people around my age from The Family, and even though I wasn’t really one of them, an FD, they always treated me as their equal, with brotherly love and care, something that I had never experienced before and that will keep in my mind for the rest of my life. And that is why, this year, I’m going to join the Family as a full-time missionary, and nothing or no one will change my mind about that, no matter what they say about the Family, or how many lies they spread. Our apostates maybe thought that by attacking the Family, they would even make less people to join, or make people run away whenever they hear about The Family; but I must say that with me they have just caused the opposite reaction, and I feel a greater desire to join and do my best for the Lord, the Family, and all the others that I will find in my way in need of help.

I know, i’m not pefect, no one is, but a team can be

And to end, I add an extract pf lyrics of a song composed by a Family member, which completely describes what goes through my mind at this time.

One day I took, I took an honest look.
I tried everything, I played every game in the book,
And I saw that there was nothing
In this world to live for any more.
Then one day, one day I heard about
A certain Man Who could work things out.
So I came to Jesus, you know He came in,
And He showed me the way.

Now all I want to do is serve Him. Oh, oh, oh, oh.
Now all I want to do is serve the King,
That others may know Him and the power, the power
Of, of His Love.

I Love Jesus, I love The Family, I love each and every member of it, and I would definitely love to become one too!!!