My parents were perfectly normal teenagers with perfectly normal lives. They were high school sweethearts that met in art class, fell in love, and got married a few years later. It was during the hippy era, make peace not war, when a couple came to their Baptist church one day singing and talking about the Lord and their mission was to “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” -Mark 16:15

These young hippies happened to be new members of a very new cult called “The Children of God” led by David Berg. He preached that the christian community would be far better served if people stayed out of churches and instead took off to the 4 corners of the earth as missionaries. My parents loved this idea, of a life spent in service to others, and joined with the idea of making the world a better place by spreading the good word. Innocent beginnings.