Welcome to the ' Twelve Tribes '

Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back. If there was a saying to correctly describe the way these adventures impact our life, it would be this one. Almost too curious for your own good, but the thrill has the power to revive you. To add more to the portfolio, today we ventured into deep Missouri looking to put ourselves in another potentially dangerous situation. Right off Highway 65, sits a little town of no more than 2300 called Warsaw. We all hear the stories of the scenic cruiser showing up at festivals, flaunting its shiny dark red paint and sleek design, drawing unwitting people aimlessly. Whether it starts as looking for aid or just an 'ooo shiny cool bus' moment, some get on and never get off. This is our experience of 'getting on the bus' (metaphorically, of course). 

Taking on the personality of a half-lie version of yourself is easy; just say anything that sounds reasonable, remember your story to a T, and don't blow your cover. You're home safe. When it gets hard is having a partner and being separated. That happens at least once in this story. 

Here we are in Warsaw, Missouri, as I said, it's not a big town, so everyone knows everyone unless you happen to live across the highway; for some reason, locals said they don't venture to that side of town. Having seen videos in the past on the best way to get this tribe to notice you, the options were either A) go for a really long hike and hope to stumble upon them and ask for water, or B) go directly to one of the Yellow Delis and hope they invite you to dinner. We obviously took the easier route that included getting a meal and sitting down. Upon arriving, the building had a kind of majestic fairy tale folklore vibe; the second you step in, it continues. You're met with a grand entrance, beautiful stained wood staircase going 3 stories up, murals on the walls, handmade chairs and tables, and the most whimsical paper menus you could ever imagine.

We get seated, palms sweating, and order drinks to start. I know this community is known for the way they treat their children, and it hurt my heart to eat food I knew, with no doubt, had been planted and gathered by children from three to the coming of age. But wow, it was good. To the left of me was a beautiful river view, and behind me was a large mural on the wall that stated 'If a bird were to take a grain of sand in its beak from the seashore and somehow manage to fly it to the furthest depths of the universe, and if it returned and repeated the process until all the sand of the oceans both from the beaches and the bottoms were gone, that would only be the beginning of eternity.' I'm guessing it has something to do with the Messianic Judaism they believe, with Christian fundamentalism and millennialism factored in as well. Millennialism, from my understanding, comes from the book of Revelation to John in the New Testament. It is said that Christ will establish a thousand-year reign of the saints on earth, otherwise known as 'The Millennium,' leading up to the 'Last Judgment.' Whether the thousand years start now or in future dates, the Twelve Tribes actively practice this way of life, so they are considered 'Saints' when the day finally arrives. Millennium is also not said in literal terms; it is a metaphoric way of describing the period of time leading up to Christ's 'Judgment.' During our time, we learned that the tribe, or 'The Community,' as they call it, all reside just a half mile away from their place of work. The Communities live in groups of about 30, all sharing and pulling funds from a pool funded by the services they offer, like the restaurant we're at today, as well as selling their granola and other products. The first thing that happens when we sit down is a man with a lost look in his eyes approaches us, he's dressed in a regular flannel, worn jeans, Jesus sandals and a tight bun in his hair. He began talking to us and was kind with a little flamboyancy in his demeanor, but was soon replaced by an elderly woman, wearing the same kind of shoes. She takes our order and walks off leaving no chance to converse. So here we are lost as to how we're going to nonchalantly start talking about certain topics in hope to score this invitation. At this point, we have our food, and I've lost all hope that the elderly woman was the right person to talk to get the invite. So the mission changes, we try to get the first guy to come back to our table as many times as we can to try to get him talking. We've eaten so much already, sandwich, chips, hummus, 2 drink refills and still nothing. My partner has had some small conversations with the man, bonding about Colorado, which if you don't know is where the tribe has a few communities, restaurants, mate bar, and allegedly started the Marshall fire. Everything he's shared seems to sum down to the assumption that once you're in the community you don't decide your fate, the tribe decides for you. We “learned” information that was already known to us but was kept under the illusion that we didn't. Such as the fact that they work for free, their children work with them from the age of three, and they are scattered all over the globe in private communities.He seems to be warming up to us when all of a sudden, in a conversation about farming, my partner makes a claim that he would go and pick tomatoes from the field for them. The man immediately gains a gleaming smile and says, "one moment I'll get something for you”. He takes off skipping towards the front of the restaurant, only to return with a bag of homemade granola and a brochure of all their communities. The conversations continue but seem to be losing their flicker of light, and we're thinking we will have to come back another day to try again. In desperate attempt to stay longer, our belly meters at max capacity, we order more food. He starts joking around with us, laughing, talking about his experiences outside the tribe, getting personal, then reverts to the original topic at hand, the Community. He mentions how dinner at the restaurant is nothing compared to what they serve in the community. He then gives us a smirk and finally, after all the up and down feelings of whether the mission was a fluke, he comes back with a formal invitation to have dinner with the community. To say the least, HE IS EXCITED, as well as every other worker in the restaurant besides the younger ones working behind the counter. They had a truly shuttering look in their eyes telling us no and to turn back. Looking around we couldn't help but to notice a wife and husband a table away eagerly paying attention to our conversation with the waiter.  Swiftly, the wife chimes in and says, “We attend the dinners every Friday, the dinner is phenomenal, the dancing and music are enchanting, but make sure to pay attention to the kids and how well behaved they are”. This woman had the same crazed lost look in her eyes as the workers, although from our knowledge she was just a citizen of the town. All we can think at this moment is that never has someone told us to pay close attention to how a child acts as a selling point to attend a dinner. Feeling like we have overstayed our well-spent time at the restaurant, we stand and are approached again by the elderly woman. She has a piece of paper and is asking for our names so they know whom to be expecting. She puts them down with a massive grin stuck on her face, we all say our “goodbyes” and “can't wait to see you's” and escape the cults' restaurant. With that, it seemed our mission was complete, not only did we manage to impress them enough to invite us to their commune, we impressed ourselves with our ability to convince them we had no ill will. Make sure to subscribe to our newsletter to keep up with our adventure. We've heard the tribe will ask you to stay the night and allegedly allow you to stay up to 5 days before asking you to devote your life to them. Yoshua only knows what will happen next…