Godfrey Thomson, 29, Mexico
(Second-generation member of the Family International)

I’ve really fed off of and have enjoyed reading what everyone has written here. It’s made me think back and reminisce on my childhood and life in general. It’s cool because every night my kids ask me to tell them stories about when I was a kid. It’s been so fun to remember! I hope I can give my kids the same upbringing and experiences I had.

When I think back on my childhood it brings a smile to my face. My life for the Lord in the Family has been amazing. There’s no way I can complain. I’ve lived in the most amazing places and houses and have done things that most people only dream about while they’re stuck at their nine to five dead-end jobs. All the cool people I was able to live with under the same roof. Learning from a wide variety of people with different backgrounds and experiences. Meeting all kinds of people, ranging from presidents of countries and famous celebrities to little fisherman on the Amazon river. I’ve had the privilege of being in recording studios from the age of eight. Singing and recording in several languages and so on.

But I don’t want to get carried away gloating about my wonderful childhood and all the things I’ve done so far, I don’t want to repeat what others have said here. I’m pretty sure I can speak for all of us in the Family when I say we have lived very special lives. So much so that I think many people who have left us are surprised to find society at large to be, for the most part, cold, cruel, uncaring, looking out for “number one", not at all like the loving and caring environment they were brought up in. And because of this, they’re unprepared for that kind of life and because they’re unprepared, it’s hard to adjust and this leads to bitterness and resentment against the Family. But I ask you, show me where the fault lies? Should our Homes be less loving and selfless? Um … I don’t think so!

But even those who have left, when they come to grips with what really happened in their time in the Family, there’s no way they can deny all the good times and great opportunities and experiences they had. Actually, I feel bad for some of my friends and family who left when the going got a little tough a few years ago. They should have stuck it out, cuz the Family is constantly changing, finding better ways of doing things, is more organized, and is getting better all the time—not to mention really fun and exciting too. I think they’re missing out big time!

I have the Family to thank for so many things. If I had not been in the Family, I wouldn’t have met my wife way off in Japan. If that didn’t happen, my four children would not have been born to me. To put it simply, I wouldn’t be where I am today.

The Family gave me the opportunity to get hands-on training in audio/visual productions at a very early age. I now have a professional studio in which I produce music both for our young missionaries as well as for the general public, which I love to do. There’s no way I can complain.

I could go on for another hour recounting to you just some of the opportunities the Family has given me, not to mention a religion that satisfies me and gives me peace. I meet new people almost everyday and when they hear I’m 29, married and have four kids, they don’t believe me. I usually have to pull out pictures to prove it. They say I look 18 or 19. Well, that’s cuz of my life for the Lord in the Family. I’m not stressed out trying to raise a family on my own, trying to pay the bills on my own, worrying about debts and payments and health insurance, etc., etc. My life is just the opposite of all that, and that keeps me young-ha!

You see we’ve found a “loophole” to society at large. A “loophole” to living like everyone else. It’s hard for some people to swallow how we live and some of the things we believe in. But we’re simply living the Bible and the way Jesus taught us to live, and it works! I’m happy, my wife and kids are happy, we have genuine peace inside.—And that’s something I’m realizing more and more as I get older that people in the world at large don’t seem to have that much of, and many have no peace at all, of mind, of heart, of anything. … Speaking of “loopholes", I was trying to come up with a name for our new band, and I think that’s it, LOOPHOLE!

The Family has shown me a way to know God and Jesus in a way no church, religion or book has. The Family has shown me there’s more to life than living for myself and making money. The Family has shown me a better way to live my life. What else can I say?

Well, I don’t want to make this too long as my kids are waiting for me to play with them on the trampoline. I actually just wanted to post a couple songs I recently recorded and let them explain how I feel.

– Called
– Laughed At

P.S. Just to briefly touch on Family education: My kids are getting a ridiculously good education. They have personalized, practically one-on-one tutoring. They’re ahead of their counter parts in secular society. Because of our life style I’m able to spend so much time with them it’s not even funny. Yes they are getting a better education than I got, but, hey, I’m doing okay. I’m not going to throw any stones at my parents for not sending me to Harvard. They were just coming out of the hippy era and did the best they could, probably better than I would have done in the same circumstances.

And you know what? People who complain about not getting a good education are just plain lazy. It’s never too late to learn. Get up off your butts and get some books and study! I can think of several entrepreneurs and great men and women throughout history who were dealt a much worse hand than these guys complaining about the Family failing them in their education. But they didn’t let that stop them, they made something of their lives and battled through against tough odds. Lack of education is no excuse. You’re just plain lazy in my book, so a “good” education won’t help you anyway.