Name: Allison Farmer
Age: 23
Profession: Christian Missionary in the Family International
Location: Mexico

I was born and raised in the Family and have made my own decision to remain. I wanted to add my name to the list of young people who have taken a stand. I won’t stand idly by while you tear down everything I believe in.

I believe in love. That’s what helps me through the day. That’s what everyone needs more of.

I believe in helping others, in making a difference. That’s the only thing that truly brings satisfaction.

I believe in living for tomorrow, not living just to please myself.

I don’t want to be remembered for nothing. I want to go down in history as someone who lived what she believed.

There are plenty of people in the world today that talk about helping others, doing good for mankind. But how many live to do just that? To bring hope where there is no hope? I think it would be difficult, if not impossible, to find another place like the Family, where people of all ages do the best they can to live in harmony, pooling resources, time, energy, and heart into bettering the world. Sure we’re human, we make mistakes, and we aren’t as giving or loving as we try to be. At least we right the wrongs we’ve made, ask forgiveness of those we’ve wronged, and move on.

I am reminded of what Pollyanna’s dad had inscribed on her necklace: “If you look for the bad in others around you, you’ll surely find it.” Why is it that only the bad hits the headlines? Are we a morbid society that only likes to hear the bad? What about the good? There is so much good; why won’t people see it?

I just wish for once that people would wait to see the facts before jumping to the wrong conclusions.

I don’t fault the general public who don’t know any better than to believe what they are conditioned to believe. I fault the media that only give space to sensational stories—ones that sell—never bothering to hear what the other side has to say. There are always two sides to every story. Why isn’t anyone asking for the other side? At least then you, the audience, would be able to make your own decisions as to what you want to believe.

I don’t care how you live your life, so long as it’s not hurting others. Please leave me alone to live my life and practice my beliefs as I so choose. Won’t you let us do just that?

Now I think I have had a taste of what the early pioneers felt when they came to the New World. Though there were many obstacles, untold hardships, uncertainty, and death, they were willing to make the sacrifices if it meant they would be free— free to live their lives, practice their religion, and raise their children. They had to escape religious persecution too. Are we going back to those dark ages?

Too bad there are no new worlds, where we could start afresh without already being judged or placed in a box by what others say about us. Well, we don’t have that option, so we’re going to make do. Please open your mind enough to at least hear us out. To recognize that not everything you read in the papers or see on TV is 100% true. How many people’s lives have been ruined because of biased reporting?

I have lived in over 16 countries. I have seen my share of differences in culture, religion, and languages. So I can safely say the people that succeed in life are the ones that didn’t let the bad things that happened to them handicap them from moving forward. It’s all in your perspective. You can let things hold you back, or you can go forward using your difficulties as steppingstones. Which are you doing?