In 1988, after the acquittal of his followers from a shootout the prior fall, David

Kuresh and the rest of the Branch Davidian Church recurred to their chosen home of Mount

Carmel, just outside of Waco, Texas.

David's longtime nemesis, George Rodin, had briefly transformed the property into Rodin

Temple, barricading the property line and letting the Mount Carmel Center deteriorate into

squalor during the years that Kuresh and the Fellowship had lived elsewhere.

There Kuresh and his followers discovered the mess left behind by George Rodin and those

he allowed to live there, including one building that had clearly been used to make methamphetamine

by tenants that Rodin had seemingly turned a blind eye to.

A lot of the equipment and residue had been left behind, and David's followers would

reach out to the local sheriff's office, asking them to come and take possession of the

stuff, wanting nothing to do with meth or the consequences of getting rid of it on their

own.

But now, back at Mount Carmel, the Branch Davidians were reminded of their prior living conditions,

which they had perhaps overly glorified during the preceding years.

The compound there had originally been built by Florence Houtef and her followers back

in 1957 and did not feature many modern day amenities that many of us can't imagine living

without, namely running water, heat, and electricity.

If Branch Davidians needed to use the bathroom, they used bedpans or went outside to the

outhouse.

If they wanted to stay warm, they got blankets.

If they needed electricity, they fired up a generator.

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