From Amy Moore, 23 yrs, second generation Family member.

My name is Amy and I was born and raised in the best, most loving, caring, concerned and fun-filled environment—The Family International. Most of my life, I am proud to say, I spent overseas. I had the best of the best in every way. Teachers that loved and cared for me, as an individual kid, and taught me as if I was their own, I wasn’t just a number or nameless student in the class (how many that have grown up going to public schools can say that?).

I wouldn’t trade my upbringing, my heritage, my family for any mess of pottage or all the kingdoms of the world that you could give me. The environment that I was brought up in was one filled with love, peace and happiness, care, concern and all that you could ask for, where avenues are open to you to pursue any kind of life you could want or imagine and be given the care and treatment as if you were part of the royal family. This is what I experienced as a kid growing up…and even into my teen years, there is nothing that I would trade or wish differently.

Like every kid turned teen, I, too, wondered “what will I be when I grow up?” but I was never “pressured”, “cajoled” or even “begged” to stay in the Family. In fact, we were told that we were free to stay or go, as we felt led. But I am here because I chose to be, because it’s my desire, my passion, because my soul desire and purpose in life is to tell as many people about Jesus as I can and the Family is the best place that I know of to do that. But if my desires and vocations ever changed and I wanted to pursue a different life, try something different—like some of my friends and even personal family members have—I would be so free to do so and know that I would receive more backing, support, love and care that I could even want. No one is holding me back, no is asking me to stay here.

I owe everything to my parents and to the Family. I can’t even begin to explain the many, many reasons for why I consider myself so privileged to have grown up in the Family. When I really stop to just think about it, there are so, so, so many in this world that grow up starving—starving from lack of food, lack of daily need and even starving for love and here I was, growing up with more than enough of all of that. Though sometimes there were times that we may not have had everything we wanted and sometimes things weren’t so great, I never, ever lacked or have been without and the Lord always compensated and more than made up for it later on. I am sooooo thankful to my parents that I didn’t grow up like so many in the world today, living for themselves, living for fashion, careers, money, car and things that will never last and only fade and could never bring you true happiness. Yes, like David Livingstone, I can honestly say that “I’ve never made a sacrifice.”

When I first heard the news of what happened, I was deeply, deeply saddened, shocked and immediately felt a pang of hurt to my heart—not for myself, but for the countless of lives that I knew this would effect and touch. That something like this could happen to someone who had the same privilege as me—that of growing up in the best possible environment and under all the right circumstances—stunned me.

I never knew Ricky personally, but of course I had heard of him, as did every other kid that grew up in the Family did and my heart went out to those of my friends that knew him personally and especially to his Mom, sister and step-father. I’ve never personally experienced that kind of pain, but as I had recently watched my grandfather pass away only a month or so before, I tried to multiply the pain that I experienced by 1000 and figured it would be remotely close to what his mom and sister were feeling. I didn’t understand how someone would willingly put someone that they loved so dearly through that much pain. And I honestly wondered how someone could stray so far from truth. I course I know why, the bible tells us that “because they turn away from the truth, they are given strong delusion that they would believe the lie.”

I did know Angela, though. I met her when I was 17—during those tumultuous teen years, you know the kind that we all wish we could of just slept through? And she helped me through so much. She was the closest thing to heaven that I could imagine. Always left you feeling warm, cared for and loved as if you were the only one in the world and your troubles all that concerned her. She had so much faith in me—little ‘ol me that felt that I could do nothing and be nothing. She was a ray of warm sunshine when the world was dark and cold. She was so easy to confide in, because you always felt that your heart was safe with her. Always cheery, always encouraging, always lending a listening ear—though she had more than enough of her own troubles and trials to work out, I’m sure—always telling me I was “beautiful” and “looked good today” in the most sincere way, she was selfless, put your needs and wants above herself. She was one of those people that you always wanted to do things for and made you feel like a better person. She never looked down on or criticized you—in short, she was an angel. A gift of love straight from Heaven.

To imagine that she is no longer with us and that her life was ended in such a cruel manner, I cannot comprehend. But I am comforted in that I know that she is with Jesus—the one she gave her life for, the one she lived for and the one on earth that meant the most to her and I know that she is in a wonderful place, free from the cares of this life, free from it all.

But it really bothers and saddens me even more to think that some of those that also grew up in the same near perfect environment as me are twisting the reality of their lives and convincing the media that “they were abused” and in short using this tragedy to their own ends and at the same time trying to end and ruin mine and the lives of those that I love. I’m sure that there were some incidents where inappropriate behavior was conducted, but I am also sure that those same individuals have also been removed from the Family and been dealt with by the Lord in the way that He knows best.

I am truly sorry for those individuals that went through any such incidents—those that happened within our fellowship and those that it’s happened to that never were a part of our fellowship—and I sincerely pray for each one of you. I pray that you can find peace and forgiveness so you can move on from the past hurts that will only cripple, harden and ruin your life too. It is said that sorrows can do one of two things—it will either make you better or bitter? Why not allow it to make you a better person and come out on top, as the conqueror, instead of the conquered? And then turn around and help those that around you move on too.

Life is too short and too precious to be spent wasted away by hurting more people and causing more harm. The world has enough of that, more than too many that people die daily from causes beyond our control—why must we intentionally be the cause of such grief and pain? That’s what these accusations are doing and causing in the lives of so many that only want to help others, spread love, happiness, joy, comfort, hope, peace and cheer—it’s only causing them more grief, sorrow, hardship and pain—it just doesn’t seem right to me. When will it end? It has to start with each one of us making a decision in our own life to turn whatever the experience into something good, to make lemonade out of the lemon and use our experiences to help each other. That’s when you begin to change the world, just one step at a time, one heart at a time, one life at a time. Why are people so intent to destroy life when enough life has already destroyed and enough blood already been spilt in this world? Why do people want to end the good that is being done in this world by those of us who are doing our best and at least our part to change this world and make it better?

That’s the thing that I don’t think people understand. The fact that The Family is not about any one person, or group of persons, it’s about an individual connection that each one of us has with Jesus. We love Him because He first loved us and laid down His life for us and that love didn’t die on the cross that night, but it lives on in the hearts and souls of many in the world at large and in every one of the members of the Family. It’s that love that we want so desperately to give to the world, it’s a love that touched each one of us uniquely and personally and one that we cannot hide or keep to ourselves. Just as a light on top of a hill cannot be hid, neither can the light of love burns in each one be quenched. It will go on and remain just as strong no matter what else happens. And we will continue to share that love—Jesus’ love to everyone that we meet until the day He returns.

You may not agree with me, you may not want to spend your days and nights changing this world for the better and that’s okay, our way of life is different and not for everyone. This we know. We are different, but just because we’re different, does that mean that we are wrong and don’t have a right to live? You don’t have to support us, but can you let us be? Let us be free to do our part to rebuild the hearts of those that do suffer from the lack of love in mankind, and to continue to do our part to make a difference in the world!

We’re not going to be stopped as the love of Christ constrains us, it compels us to do our part to reach out, make a difference, help one another, telling others about Jesus and His amazing love and message that He died to give us and that’s what we’ll continue to do—it’s what we feel called to live and breathe for. I for one know I wouldn’t want to live any other kind of life. I don’t expect you to do the same or to even understand, but please, just let us live the life we feel called to live.

Once again, I want to say that I feel very privileged to have been born into this Family and owe everything to the Family, to my parents and to my God for that. If I had a chance to redo anything in my life it would only be that I could have been born into The Family earlier so that I could give more love, more hope, more joy, comfort, happiness and peace to this lost, sad and dying world. I am proud of every member of this Family, proud of the difference each one is making in this world and only hope that one day I will one day my children will be so lucky as to have the same privileged upbringing as me—in The Family.

Amy Moore is a second-generation member of The Family International