I’ve been living in West Africa for the last year. I’ve been back in the US for five days now. Wow! A lot has changed, but I guess some things haven’t, like sensational TV shows. We will always have those because that’s what we want to watch. We want the nitty-gritty, juicy tales of horror and abuse that make our eyes sting and ears cringe.

I can tell you a lot about abuse. I’ve seen it first-hand and had to deal with the repercussions of abuse and neglect. It’s everywhere in the world but never so evident and in your face than those places that the modern world calls the third world.

I’ve seen teenage girls staked to the ground to keep them from running away. They’re never freed even to use the toilet, the smell makes you reel. I’ve seen families marry off their twelve-year old daughters to fifty-year old men. Children that are forced to work on the street as laborers, they don’t go to school, and they’re beaten if they don’t make enough money. Parents who place their children on the street to beg, women who still have their placenta inside them months after giving birth because their husband refused to let them get medical help, not to mention the human trafficking that exists.

All that to say, I know abuse does exist, I’ve seen it and been sickened by it and I’m truly sorry for anyone it’s happened to.

I would like to say though, that I’ve never in my whole life been abused. I grew up in the group that you’re talking about, and in fact I’m still in it. I’ve been doing missionary and humanitarian work my whole life and I love it. I love the feeling of satisfaction and fulfillment you get from helping others. I think about all the places I’ve been and different countries I’ve lived in, amazing people I’ve met and I have to say that I love my life. I have The Family International to thank for that. I don’t want to prosecute my parents for raising me in The Family, I want to thank them for giving me the opportunity to live the most amazing life. So thanks, Mom and Dad.

bindi_kwan