Though many childhood memories blend into one another during this time period, one specific incident stands out in my memory. That was the day Daddy took me over to "Grandpa's house." This was the first time I met Father David. It was November, 1978.

Although I was only five and a half years old, I remember it like it was yesterday. For some reason, no single memory of my early childhood stands out to me as much as this does. I remember specific details of the experience—down to what Grandpa was wearing and many of the things that he said to me.

My mom and dad had a meeting that day with Grandpa and Maria, and for some reason they brought me along. When we got to the house, my parents went off to their meeting and I met up with Davidito and we spent the afternoon together. We were both in the care of an adult named Richard who stayed with us the entire afternoon and joined in on all the activities we did. We watched a nature program on TV, we played outside and rode on scooters and bicycles, had a snack, and after dinner Richard gave us an animated and enthralling flannelgraph of the Bible story of Gideon.

After having dinner with the rest of the Home, I was instructed to go upstairs, as there was someone who wanted to meet me. At the top of the stairs I met Maria who was about six months pregnant with Techi. I gave her a hug and spent a few minutes chatting with her. I remember being quite fascinated that she had a baby in her tummy, and I asked her several questions about it, which she enthusiastically answered. I was not at all a shy child, and meeting new people and striking up conversations was something I enjoyed doing—and still do.

After talking for a while, Maria asked me if I would like to go meet Grandpa. I knew who Grandpa was, as there were comics we children would read that illustrated and explained that Grandpa was the founder and leader of our group. In the comics, and the "Mo Lion Readers" that I learned to read by, he was illustrated as "Mo Lion." I remember being mildly curious as to whether I would be meeting a man with a lion's head.

Not being one to miss out on any new experience—whether or not it involved a man with a lion's head—I quickly said yes and Maria led me into the room to meet Grandpa. I have this image burned in my memory of the way he looked when I first walked in. He was sitting in a big chair reading some papers. He was dressed in a beige bathrobe, with beige pants and was wearing black, horn-rimmed glasses. As I walked in, he put the papers down, gave me a big smile, and said, "Hello, Bethany!"

I ran over and gave him a hug. Then I climbed on his lap and asked what he was doing. He replied that he was writing Mo Letters. I asked him several questions about the "Mo Letters," and he explained things in terms that a five-year-old would understand. I remember him explaining how he would talk to Maria and she would record what he said on a tape recorder. He showed me his tape recorder and let me record something into it which I enjoyed very much. Then he explained that what he said on the tape recorder would be typed out and he would read it over again. He showed me the papers he was reading and his red pen and demonstrated how he marked any changes on the paper. He let me draw or write a few things on his paper with his red pen. Then he explained how his Letters would be illustrated, and then sent to the print shop to be printed and mailed, after which members would distribute them on the street. I was quite fascinated by all he told me.

It was a brief meeting—probably no more than 15 minutes or half an hour at the most. I remember as I talked to Grandpa that I felt loved by him, in a grandfatherly sort of way. I specifically remember both Grandpa and Maria telling me that I shouldn't tell my brother and sister or any of the other children I lived with that I'd met Grandpa, as it might make them sad and they would wonder why they hadn't gotten to meet him as well. I don't recall whether I kept that piece of information to myself or not (my guess is that I didn't), as after this event I have a significant gap in my memory.

Grandpa and Maria discussed my inquisitive nature during this visit in the Letter "Where do Babies Come From?—Pre-existence or Re-Incarnation?"

That would explain all these absolutely incomprehensible visions of Techi even before she was ever born! (Maria: Yes, that she was being trained up there, and asking all kinds of questions, like Peter's little Bethany! I noticed the difference between Bethany and David. I mean, Bethany at two years older, she was asking questions all the time and was just so inquisitive! If Techi was about that age, she would ask everything!) She was just about that age in those visitations! (Maria: If she knew she was coming to Earth, she'd want to know where was she going to be born and all about her parents and everything.)

(ML #794:21)