My mom and dad met and joined the Children of God while traveling in Europe in December of 1971. They were both 20 years old and had been living together for almost a year prior to meeting the Children of God. When they joined, they took the Bible names of Peter Amsterdam (as that is where they joined) and Damaris. They were married in March of 1972 and I was born in early '73.

Things started off well for me when only hours after I was born, and while on the phone with Grandma, my dad decided on impulse to name me Bethany, instead of the name my mom had planned, which was—horribly—Shulemite. Apparently Mom wasn't too impressed with the last-minute decision, due to the fact that there was another Bethany in the Home, whom she suspected Dad of secretly admiring. But Grandma had been informed and so the decision was final. I've always been grateful.

My earliest memory is of sitting in a stroller watching people walk by, while hearing music behind me—no doubt my dad and others playing guitar as they witnessed on the streets of European cities, singing and ministering to the countless hippies of those days who were seeking for truth and meaning to their lives.

Before long, I had a baby sister, and two years later my brother was born. In the first few years of my life, our family lived in various COG communities in Germany, Great Britain, Italy, and Switzerland. My dad became involved in leadership and administrational duties, and worked in publications and statistics.