Letter to Maria (part one)

Letter to Maria from SGA Teen
Posted By: SGA
Date: Saturday, 4 May 2002, at 5:07 p.m.
Dear Mama,
How's everything? Yeah, ok‚ well anyhow, I like got this from a friend of
mine, and anyhow, like I really don't know what to think about it. 'Cause you
see‚ I don't exactly want to believe it, but anyhow, it's quite true and I've
heard of it before. So anyhow‚ could you just like get back to me on it and
tell me what you think about it? It's really bothering me and I don't know
what to think anymore. K, thanks.
To all Family teens and adults…
I'm writing this letter to WS. It's some stuff that my friends and I have been
thinking about for a long time. I wanted to get your scope before I send it,
as I might be totally or partially wrong on some points.
Please read it carefully and if you agree, send it on to other Family young
people. The only thing you have to do is sign your name (or you can write a
note if you like) and send your name or response to [my email]. It's the same
address that sent it to you. If you agree with the letter, please send it on
to your friends and ask them to send their signature and whatever they'd like
to say as well.
I'll compile your signatures and send the letter to Mama and Peter after I get
enough responses. When you respond, I'm also asking you to disagree with some
or all of it and send me what you think, if that's indeed how you feel. I do
want to be correct in my opinions‚ so I'd appreciate it.
I want to state that I'm not trying to “disunify” people or start some kind of
new thing or something. It's just that I feel that I've gotten enough of the
same story over and over and now it's not just me speaking, so perhaps there's
something we can do to make things better.
I know it's a bit long, thanks for your time. Thanks.
Dear Mama and Peter,
If these had only been my personal issues and trials, then I would keep them
to myself and try to get my act together. But I know for a fact that this is
the way that most of the young people that I know feel (and I know a lot of
young people).
Many FGAs that I have spoken to have expressed similar views to mine about
current life in the Family, the “standards,” and basically what our life in
the Family is supposed to be about. Therefore I feel that “I know whereof I
speak.”
I hope I don't sound disrespectful or contrary in this letter, but I do want
to “say it as it is,” or at least how I and many others see it. I hope you
don't mind. Nope, don't mind at all. But like I said, I hope you can take it
the same as you give it. If I do sound totally “out of it,” then I do
apologize for my tone. Then again, a lot of these things I'm talking or will
be talking about, have been happening for so long that I feel it is time that
somebody said it (as I said before) “As It Is.” I did want to say firstly that
I do love you, Peter and Mama, and all my shepherds. I love the Family. I love
the things we promote, I love helping people‚ doing CTPs, and The Family is
the way I want to live my life. But I also do believe that something is wrong
with the current situation, as we're losing so many young people from the
Family. I don't believe in the popular mentality of, “Oh hell, the harvest is
plenteous but the laborers are few,” ... or “we're going to lose many and be a
Gideon's band,” or ... “Son, this is the way the Lord ordained it, just don't
look back and go on” etc., etc.
I'm sorry, Mama, I have every intention of going on in the Family, but with
all due respect, that teen was my friend that just left. Or maybe that girl
was my girlfriend! When this scenario happens time and time again, and almost
every time for the same reasons … you'd better believe that I WILL look back
and start to question things and wonder just what is wrong. After all, that
was an excellent young Family member that has just left.--Left not because
he/she doesn't love the Lord, or because he/she doesn't love others enough to
live a life of service. But he or she is gone because he is no longer able to
keep up with all the things expected of him in the Family.
I think if I placed a true scenario here it would be easier to understand just
what I'm talking about. I won't get into who this person is, but the fact
remains …
Here is a typical Family young person: She works in the Home fulltime. Shares
a room with some kids‚ probably 4-10 years old. Does this young woman have any
privacy? No way! But never mind all that because we're all in the Family
because we want to be and that's a part of it, right? She usually spends most
of the day with the kids that she also sleeps in the same room with and cares
for at night.
Cooking? Yes! Cleaning? Oh yeah! Almost literally becoming the Home's maid so
that they can