![](https://new-cdn.mamamia.com.au/mamamia-pwa.appspot.com/cms_images/variations/3023.9999999999995x2015.9999999999998-108004737719.jpg)
Content warning: this article contains descriptions of child sexual and physical abuse.
Joe Dageforde's Canadian father was living in Australia, busking on the streets, when he met Joe's mum.
He invited her to a barbecue, run by his church group called, The Children of God. At the time, they were feeling disenchanted with the world and were desperately seeking a sense of belonging. They found it within the church.
That barbecue set the tone for Joe's life, and the life of his siblings, all of whom were born as active members of the church.
Watch: Hillsong Church defends itself after a video emerged. Article continues below.
"I was born in Canada, and moved to Australia as a one-year-old," says Joe. "We lived in Australia, New Zealand, and India for my first 11 years of life."
The family was constantly moving, but always within the confines of the church, a global operation, that still exists to this day.
"We lived in a caravan for a couple of years, communes, even in a tent for a while."
By the time he was 12, Joe had lived in 52 different locations. Each location had one thing in common though. They were cut off from the outside world.