Sarah at New Beginnings Girls Academy

This Interview was found on the STOP NBGA website. All rights goes to the original author.

1. What is your name? (Only give what you’re comfortable giving, i.e. Full name, first name, initials, first initial and last name. If you choose to use your full name, please include maiden name in addition to your current, legal name.)
   Sarah <name to be found in source>
2. Time spent (give dates to best of your ability) in The Home:
   May 15, 2004 -July 3, 2005
3. Which location?
   Pace, FL
4. What was The Home called when you were there/what name was the institution going by during the time of your stay? (i.e. Rebekah Home for Girls, New Beginnings Rebekah Academy, New Beginnings Girls Academy, New Beginnings Ministries. Multiple answers may be necessary.)
   New Beginnings Girls Academy
5. Who were the head directors at the time?
   Bill "Brother Mac" McNamara and Jennifer "Mrs. Mac" McNamara
6. How old were you?
   I was 17 when I got there, 18 when I left.
7. Please describe reasons/circumstances for which you were sent to The Home: (i.e. trouble with the law, issues at home or school, etc.)
   I had quit going to school about 4 months prior to being sent there and was hanging out with a rough crowd. I was supposed to be doing this homeschool program that my mom got me enrolled in but I never did it. I was gone all the time with my friends and had started to experiment with drugs and alcohol and didn’t really care about where my life was going. There was one incident where I got in trouble with the law and I think that pretty much was the breaking point for my mom. She knew that I needed help and that she couldn’t give it to me because I would not listen to her anymore. So she decided to send me to New Beginnings to finish high school and get my life straightened out.
8. Please describe instances of abuse you EXPERIENCED at The Home, if any:
   
   I personally was never physically abused while there. There was mental abuse that went on all the time. Scare tactics were used, and we were yelled at all the time and called “whores” and various other names. If they thought that we weren’t "right with God" then they would put us on Discipline (a major punishment) for no reason other than that. We had to be happy all the time and feel like we were being helped by them, if we weren’t then we would be "openly rebuked," called names, and denied privileges.
9. Please describe instances of abuse you WITNESSED at The Home, if any.
   
   
   There was a little girl with serious mental health problems. She was about 12 when she came in and was on a bunch of medication for her problems that she truly needed. They took her off all meds and said they could help her better than the medicine. She always looked like she didn’t know what was going on and she didn’t understand why they were treating her the way they did. I remember one time where myself and other girls and staff members were made to stay up with her until about 4 in the morning and force her to stand in a circle of masking tape on the floor. If she got out of the circle or didn’t comply then we had to push her back in. If she kept misbehaving then we had to put her into an ice cold shower with all her clothes on while she screamed. She was always in trouble and yelled at for no reason at all. You could tell that there was something wrong with her and that was not the place she needed to be. She couldn’t even talk that well and we could barely ever understand what she was saying sometimes. They pretty much just treated her like crap and blamed her for it because she wasn’t “right with God" according to them. It was awful and I felt very bad for her.
   There were two girls that I graduated with who were forced to get a tan before graduation. They were told that they were too “white” and that was a sin because being white was something that “gothic” people did. They wanted to talk to their parents about it but the directors would not let them tell them. They were made to stay outside during practically the whole time we were in school for, I'd guess, 6 hours a day with tanning oil all over them while we could see them out the window. I remember looking out there and feeling bad for them because they did not want to get a tan but they had no choice. They tanned until they were burnt and their knees were purple and they had huge blisters. The tanning did not stop until a few days before graduation.
   I remember one incident where we were at church and we stayed there after the service was over and Brother Mac had all the girls stand up one by one and the rest of the girls got to raise their hands and vote if that person was “negative” or “positive." The people who were “negative” got punished. They gave them 4 sheets of toilet paper when they used the bathroom, took away all condiments from their food, and had to drink only water with meals and made them stand at their bunk beds with their nose touching the bar at the end every night until 11pm, (an hour and a half to two hours after Lights Out,) and they also took away all extra privileges. They were told that they weren’t right with God and rebuked often. The people who were considered “positive” got nothing. We just had to watch the “negative” people suffer. It was messed up.
   If someone tried to run away or just couldn’t take it anymore and didn’t obey their rules, the directors would have other girls in the home sit on them or hold them down. They would be locked in the dorm for days, even weeks, and had to be constantly watched by the more "trusted" girls They pretty much did whatever it took to restrain them. Some of them just got fed up and refused to do anything because they were tired of being treated like crap and after so long they got to go home or got sent to other homes.
   In the dorm, we were always rushed to be ready on time, trying to make our way through 20 other girls to get ready. It was stressful. We had to iron our clothes and they could not have any wrinkles in them or we would get in trouble. We were timed when we ironed and that resulted in us rushing to get it done and trying not to have any wrinkles and we would burn ourselves often. If we burned ourselves a lot, we would get in trouble for that also (they'd say we were hurting ourselves on purpose) and they would take away our curling irons/flat irons, and someone else would have to iron for us and that would result in them being late and getting in trouble. There was always something to get in trouble for. It would be the stupidest thing like looking around in line or just talking or something stupid like that. It was hard not to get in trouble. It was horrible and everyone was always scared, even some of the staff.
10. Do you feel that you witnessed or experienced any discrimination for race, faith, or any other characteristic or persuasion? If so, please explain.
    
    I remember people being insulted for their sexuality. If they were gay they were called "faggots" and told they were going to hell.
11. What was your overall impression of The Home? Do you believe that it helped you?
    
    My overall impression of the home is that it was a mentally and physically abusive facility. It was a complete waste of time and money. It put me in a place where I really was not happy (but had to pretend to be) and I tried to do everything that they wanted me to so I could hurry up and get out of there. The rules were crazy and extreme and nothing the average person would think is right. Nobody deserves to be treated like that and almost all of us would have been happier in jail. At least we could have thought for ourselves and kept our own beliefs. We weren’t even allowed to talk. When someone just nit picks and looks at every single fault someone has then there is going to be problems. No one is perfect and that is definitely what they expect you to be, which is humanly impossible. I do not believe that it helped me at all. If anything it made me worse than before I was sent there. I now suffer from panic disorder and generalized anxiety disorder, and many others girls that went there also suffer from various kinds of disorders as well.
12. What is your opinion of the quality of education you received while in The Home?
    
    I would say that the education we received while in the home was very poor. It was the A.C.E. (Accelerated Christian Education) curriculum and you had to do these workbooks called PACEs and teach yourself. There were no real or qualified teachers and no really one cared if you learned anything or not. Some of the girls (including myself) and some who weren’t doing well in school would be called outside to work all day during school hours and never really made up any work for the time they missed.
13. How old are you now?
    
    24
14. What was it like being released into the “real world” after your time in The Home?
    
    It was pretty awkward. None of my friends recognized me because I had lost 60 pounds while in there. It was strange to be “normal” again and it took a while to get used to it.
15. What is your current profession?
    I am a stay-at-home mom.
16. What affect did The Home have on your faith, if any?
    
    It really didn’t change what I believed (even though you had to believe exactly what they believed while in there to get by) but it definitely made me sick of being yelled at all the time about things that don’t make sense, always being made to feel like you are “wrong” and a bad person, and need to "get right."

The facility was founded on methods used in the so-called Roloff homes established in Texas in 1970s. The authorities’ interest in the horrible conditions at these homes forced the operations out of state and in the end former employees established their own extreme religious boarding schools. New Beginning and whatever changing name they put behind it to make the authorities lose track of them when they move across state-lines was founded by former Roloff employees.

Sources:

• The original testimony on StopNBGA
• Factsheet about the facility (Fornits Wiki)

K. Hicks at Shepherd’s Hill Farm (Also known as Shepherd’s Hill Academy)

This statement was found as a comment to a blog. All rights goes to the original author known as K. Hicks.

Former “resident” here.

I’m delighted to see that this scam is being accounted for what it actually is. Bravo!

I enrolled in May of 2005 after being tricked into visiting my father, who lives in Savannah, which is about four and a half hours away. My father and my stepmom drugged my food at a restaurant and I awoke when my dad’s car hit a gravel road. My next sight was that of a homemade, dilapidated sign stating, “Shepherd’s Hill Farm Discipleship Camp”…I freaked the hell out naturally and began to dial an emergency number on my cell phone for help. As soon as my feet hit the ground, I took off towards the entrance, but was tackled by Mr. Embry himself, who weighs a hearty 240 lbs. or so and is about 6’3. My face hit the gravel violently and I began to bleed as he twisted my arms up behind me, my clothing in tatters. Again and again, “counselors” walked by, repeatedly telling me that this was a “good place” and that they “loved me” and so did “Jesus” and that I had better “calm down”. I promised to calm down and they led me into a trailer where an RN, Rebecca Bombet, was waiting to do the intake paperwork. I was informed of their procedures, especially the punishments for using “foul language”. Special meals, “swats”, and work detail. “Swats” are actually where you are bent over and spanked with a 3/4 inch wooden board with holes in it, which resembles a cricket bat. The word “LOVE” is scrawled hastily on it with black permanent marker. I digress. During intake, I learned that my parents had actually agreed to use my college trust fund to pay for this “learning experience” and that they most assuredly saved me from going directly to Hell…I can safely say that is why I am not in college today…but, whatever, I needed Jesus, right? Right?

About two months later, I attempted to escape with two fellow students. We got to the next town before local law enforcement, undoubtedly one of SHF’s staunchest allies, found us walking down a country road towards South Carolina, which is about 10 miles away from the camp. EIGHT squad cars from Lavonia, GA, Stephens County Sheriff’s Office and all camp vehicles, including Mr. Embry’s personal mini-van, which was a gift from a parent…

Mr. Embry, being an ex-cop from Schereville, Indiana, which is a suburb of Chicago, Illinois; was very much in his element when he apprehended us. He told us to drop to the ground and not to, and I quote, “fucking move”. We dropped down and were taken by the local police back to the camp, which under the waiver, we were runaways. Power of attorney is actually granted to the camp prior to admission to avoid any “incidents”. When we were hauled back, we were taken to the trailer, which from now on I will refer to as the office, which is what it served as. Me and the other two guys were told that we were in “mortal sin” and that we had turned our backs on the very people who were trying to help us. The staff got together in a huddle, so to speak, and sentencing was fast. Three weeks of orange jumpsuits (no regular clothes), two weeks of sandals (no socks or closed-toe shoes, even when we were digging with post-hole diggers and sawing trees….), and a week and a half of shackles. Only these were not your typical shackles…..they were chains with padlocks that were put firmly around our ankles and tied with a piece of twine so that we didn’t trip (we would pick up the third end between our legs). On top of that, we were given two weeks of “special meals”, which is not exactly healthy with all the work that is done. AND we had three days of shoveling horse manure when the temperatures were in the 100s with heat index…

Needless to say, I got very ill and crawled up underneath a desk in the fetal position vomitting while we watched a sermon for two hours in the classroom. I was sick for about a week after that with a major infection, again, not even remotely addressing any medical attention other than Tylenol…

I could go on for awhile, but I feel like I’d be spinning my wheels. They’ve backed me in a corner anytime I try to bring this to the attention of law enforcement, civil authorities, or local politicians. I am very familiar with the area, having actually lived there about two years later and working with a concert promotion company out of Athens. Everyone says the same thing: you can’t fix what’s broken.

Sources:

• Shepherds Hill Farm – “The Great Child Abuse Secret” (Reality is my religion blog)
• Factsheet about the facility (Fornits Wiki)

A parent about Anchor Academy

This testimony was given by a parent on the Fornits Home for Wayward Web Fora. All rights goes to the original author

My son was at Anchor a couple of years ago. I agree with yall, something definitely needs to be done. Here is a post that I put on another page. This is how I feel and a little bit about our story:

The people that have never had any dealings with Anchor really don't know what goes on there. We sent our son there 2 years ago. When we went to check out the program, we felt like it was a great place. The boys seemed well mannered. We were told what we wanted to hear. We thought it would be great place for our son because he had problems with defiance. He wasn't a REBEL but he was an ADHD child that needed some direction. We are a Christian family and our children have been brought up in a Christian home and church.

We took money out of my husbands retirement to send him there. This was the biggest mistake of our lives. There IS abuse there. I don't care what a child has done, YOU DO NOT TIE THEM UP!!!!! There are other options!!!!

We were told there would be counseling in which there was not. For breakfast they ate Raw oats and milk. For 3 1/2 months of the 4 months that my child was there he had Mostly Peanut butter and water for meals. We paid them thousands of dollars and my child ate raw oats and peanut butter sandwiches. These are children not criminals. Number one, you do not allow children to totally be over another child. They are Children. My son could not speak, address or even look at the other kids for four months. In prison, at least you can carry on a conversation with people. They allow the guides and leaders; in which are children;to be responsible for the discipline of the other children. The adults allow the guides and leaders man handle the kids that are under them. They give way too much control to the kids that have learned how to play the system. MY son was pulled off the commode while having a bowel movement because he took more that 3 minutes. So again we gave them thousands of dollars to allow other children to do their job. There are way too many kids and not near enough staff. If you have a kid with adhd then you know how easily distracted they can be. This does not make him a REBEL. So naturally his complaints piled up especially when the complaints were given to him by the kids the were "IN CHARGE".

The exercise was way to intense. They made them exercise around the clock. They wouldn't allow them to drink enough water during the exercises. Im a nurse and from what I have been taught, Peanut butter sandwiches and water, raw oats and milk is NOT enough food for that amount of exercise. When my son came home he did not have an ounce of fat on him. In fact he was malnourished. Im sorry; That is ABUSE. There are plenty of programs out there that can get across to these kids. The Punishment should fit the crime. And it doesn't there. In fact when we went for our visit and we asked for a meeting with BRo. Dennis because we thought there was a problem maybe with his guide, we were told that were undermining his authority and he didn't know if he wanted our son to stay because of it. During our meeting Bro Dennis blasted me because I was asking all the questions. I was told our child was just a REBEL. My child is not a REBEL!! In fact to this day my child still has nightmares about that place. In fact, He would cry if you even discussed Anchor with him. They did teach the Bible but in my opinion they hide behind the Bible. They also make these kids work long hours at the cotton mill and are not paid for it. Sounds like a child labor issue to me. If my child is such a rebel why is he done with high school and in college at 16 years old. No thanks to Anchor. If you went to Anchor and had a good experience; thats great. Not everyone did!! You cant let children have that much control over other children.

By the way we pulled our son 4 months into the program. Praise God, we got him out of there. Yes my son had problems, but no one deserves to be treated like that. Like I said the punishment should fit the crime. No matter what a kid does, you don't tie them up, You don't pull someone off the commode while trying to use the restroom, You don't allow other kids to control there every move. You don't allow kids to manhandle other kids because you cant. They even made my son do so much exercise It caused a testicular hernia. You also should make sure these kids are getting enough food to justify the exercise. By the way Bro Dennis did verify all of things were told to be correct. Funny how he didn't tell us everything when he first met him. We were told they had no connection to Roloff homes in TX. If this is true why did they go to Corpus Christi for Founders day while my son was there.

My son is at Youth Challenge Academy now. He make platoon leader and squad leader right off. He has not gotten the first citation against him the entire time he has been there. No we didn't send him there because he was defiant or a REBEL. He wen't to finish high school and start college early. The staff loves him. They have nothing but great things to say about him. There are children there that are defiant and rebellous. If they can get to these kids without the extremes that Anchor uses, Anchor could do the same. I don't see ycp tying kids up. They get plenty to eat. They receive real counseling every day. They make sure they have plenty of water. The kids aren't touched by staff or other children. There is an adult with them at all times. The do exercise but in moderation. The punishment fits the crime. By the way, when we withdrew our son for Anchor they refused to refund us any of the thousands of dollars that we paid up front. Sounds real Christian-like to me. So if any of you are thinking about sending you child here. Please be VERY vigilant. Do your research and go with your gut feeling.

The home later moved to Montana and on to Missiouri where it exists today.

Sources:

• The original testimony on the Fornits Home for Wayward Web Fora
• Factsheet about the academy (Fornits Wiki)

A stay at Heartland Christian Academy (continued)

This addictional statement was made on Topix.com. All rights goes to the original author

I mean, seriously, who pulls aside people that move into their little "private property" community and say things like:

"So yeah...I'm doing this great thing by helping all these really screwed up kids, women, and men. Our programs are great and really help people get their lives in order and get over their addictions and stuff. But don't talk to the program people, ok? They have issues and stuff. They say they want our help, and maybe they do, but a lot of them just want to keep pretending to be the victim so they never have to deal with their problems. So just keep that in mind."

Cuz that sure seems to be the speech they might get after moving to Heartland. I mean, there are families who avoid "program people" like the plague, won't let any of them near the children, won't speak to them, etc. Some even have the audacity to say to the program people that we need to stop complaining about everything and start appreciating all the blessings heartland is giving us. That we need to stop be so "ungrateful" for "everything Heartland is doing for you!"

Since they are naive, we can forgive them their cruel words. Only those who have been through the program will ever truly understand what it does to a person, and the flaws in the system, and the favoritism, and the holier-than-thou staff that beats down on you. Unless you are an inherently good person, you can't understand without having been through it. But there were a handful of them there, like the Shorts, the Palmers, the Nickersons, the Whites, the Metzgers the Powells, the Newlands, and the Kippings. They all genuinely care about the kids in the program and want to help them learn, heal, and grow. They are wonderful people who will always be in my favorite memories. I hope they continue to do the Host Parent nights every week and that these families continue to participate, because spending time with them, even for a few hours once a week, made life at Heartland infinitely better.

The weeks I spent at the Palmers playing uno and making dinner together made my senior year tons of fun. The games of hide-and-seek with the Nickerson/White kids before church and the times we goofed off during class activities/nonacademic days were always hilarious. The times Mrs. Kipping brought us to her house after school to make delicious cookies was always relaxing. The times Mama Powell interrupted our Life Studies class to go to her house and bake those perfect mini bananabread loaves and listen to hear stories always cheered me up on a bad day. Every afternoon spent working with Mrs. Metzger and the kids was so much fun, so eventful. Every class with Coach Short going on rabbit trails and telling stories and making us laugh makes me smile. I will never forget these great memories as long as I live.

But the people who treat the "program people" like the plague because they don't know better, you really have to wonder how that came to be. What do Charlie and Laurie tell them about us to get them to fear and loathe us? What do the staff and leadership say about us that makes us seem so terrible? And how can you not find it terribly suspicious when someone says that you shouldn't interact with all the program people, if you're a good Christian person who wants to help? I mean, that's like saying,"No, no, let ME handle it, because only I can fix them. Even though you mean well, you shouldn't try to help. They might try to drag you down. Let me take care of this, and please, just don't interfere." Isn that not toally screaming "HEY LOOK- NO CHECKS AND BALANCES!!"

They can't be held responsible for any wrongdoings if they insist that everyone making claims of said wrongdoings is totally crazy or out for attention, can they? If the people who accuse them of abuse, or unkindness, or unfairness are all mental, or just "trying to play the victim" then of course they don't have to ever admit to any wrongs, and then they never have to fix anything. They can do anything they please- that is BAD.

Sources:

• The original statement on Topix.com
• Factsheet about the facility (Fornits Wiki)

one more who was abused at Heartland Christian Academy (From Topix)

I'll tell you some of my expierence. I was sent there because i was about to out my mom the family when i arriveed i was told not to (jump out of the car) because there were men in the woods waiting. this was my second boarding school and i had been in juvi and in child servicesbefore, and jail after. Heartland was hell in 2 yrs i was able to go to the mall once which isnt the worse but i was abandoned by my parent so i had no income no way to get clothes and such however most of my supplies were takin care of by heartland of debowed from other guys sorry bros i just had some needslol. for all who dont know debowed would be stolen. i wasnt allowed to get a job untill i was "saved" which then came the fake it to make it. it was not hell every day but close. i did get my money when i left sorry some of yall didnt. I remember getting beat so bad i could sit, i remember when they went to handswats on top of ass beatings. I remember having to do hours of pt's after school for looking at chicks and failing tests because i didnt understand the work and then going back to the dorm to get swats.i did deserve some swats and maybe more but most of the time they were unjustified. I remember getting 10 swatson the arse than 10 on each hand. id seen a kid getting swatted so hard he went over a chair. the paddle used was 2 inches thick and about a foot long minus the handle i believe. i remember there being hours of quiet time many kids punished for nothing. the mental abuse was the worse. everything we did was wrong as an adult i know that swats arent abuse but the way they gave them in large numbers was i remember after school up to 25 boys in line for swats and this was every school day. getting swatted for false accusations and because a certain staff had it out for me. i rememer favortism was horrible there was a top click and they got pretty much whatever they wanted within the limits, we did go to the park everyonce in while but very few of us i remember swimming in the lake they had, there were great times, and i made some amazing friends that we stll talk this is a true testimony, there was good times, sometimes a fair and truly well hearted staff would get us out a day would usually go ...up early for at least 30 mins of pts then in for breakfast off to school then back to the dorm then quiet time then dinner then a couple of hours of "free time" to be in the halls then some sort of church then bed time swats were unjust they were not meant for correction grown men would put everything they had into the swing and one that i know of would get a running start and 1 would do a hop skip and a jump into the swing. one would toss the paddle into the air catch it to show his talent and then swat ya. the hand paddle was 6 inches long half inch thck rubber bout 2 inches wide and would be swung from the 12 oclock position to the 3oclock position coming from a man i rememeber leaving the office with welts on my purple palms i had my wisdom teeth pulled all 4 of them got back to the dorm and they wouldnt give me my pain medication cause it had codene in it the teachers have no degrees when i came they were not allowed to work us n the cow shit but i remember countless hours in the field blazing hot sun 12 hrs and only 1 small cup of water i saw one child got thrown into dirt and humiliated by the staff and had to finish 4 hours of labor covered in mud from head to toe we were pushed constantly to the point of tears than past that to degredation and then when we flipped out swated you could sneak notes to girls but very rarely and then they made it to where we only saw them at church ive seen many called out in the middle of the church and humiliated publically.i remember being told my mom ddnt love me which was true for me but for others was dead wrong. when i left i was told i would fail and be dead in 5 yrs its been 8 didnt happen and i am very succesful. I did get divorced I feel mostly due to Heartland cause it made me a control freak.

Brenda McNatt-Hausermann at Heartland Christian Academy (From:Topix)

This testimony was found on Topix december 2012. All rights goes to the originally author Heartland Christian Academy:

WOW....is the only thing that comes to mind. I lived at Heartland for 3 years and left as soon as I could. I left 3 weeks before the "raid." I have since been contacted and gave a deposition that was hours long a couple years ago. It's crazy to think that just 10 years ago as I was leaving I was as brainwashed as the next Heartlander. I had been sucked into the false reality that Sharpe and his empire have created. It is a total US vs. THEM mentality. "US" being Heartland and "THEM" being the rest of the sinning world. I truly believed that the ABUSE that was taking place was just discipline. I entered the "program" at a very impressionable age and was able to be "programmed." Sermon after sermon declared "they didn't want you" and "your parents are just as bad, if not worse than you." Many times Charlie declared "I tell children all the time 'it's not you that's the problem it's your parents'." This is how it begins for the children. Yes, children do work and in my experience were forced to work. Yes, underage boys worked at the dairy with no pay. Guess you can't call it child labor if they are not getting paid.

My original houseparents were very loving and forgiving. They actually taught me what it was like to be in a healthy family and protected us as much as they could from the extremists that surrounded us.

I was one of the few who made it through the program without receiving swats. I knew the right things to do and say to keep myself out of trouble and was sort of "paraded around" if you will to different conferences for Charlie's insurance company in order to give my testimony and/or sing for the different events. After all, I had been "reformed." I was one of the poster kids so to speak. I remember feeling sorry for all those who were not "chosen." Many times I pondered what the difference was between the girl in the green jumpsuit for punishment and myself. It was heartbreaking to hear the swats mercilessly doled out for seemingly harmless infractions and by "staff" that was only a few years senior of the "child" getting swats. None of which were trained professionals by any "worldy" standards because when you own the town you can make the rules. When you have a court order declaring the state must not interfere well...Swat away. Abuse...just report it to the on-call physician. He lives and works at Heartland as well. Maybe just tell the local sheriff who also lives and works at Heartland.

A degree??? What is that, around here we just say a prayer and appoint the educators...Don't get me started on the unaccredited Bible College where Heartland graduates typically go to further their fake education. It's sad when they leave only to realize they are not qualified to do anything and their education doesn't count unless your career goals involve living and working at Heartland for the rest of your life.

The big shocker came to me when I was confronted by a lawyer who asked me to testify on the states behalf. For some reason it was rumored that Heartland took this as a personal blow. All I did was tell the truth. I had no reason to lie and still don't. The things that happened were wrong. Funny how easily Staff wanted to hold everyone else so accountable but when it came time to confess and repent their paper shredder did all of the confessing and repenting for them. What incident reports????

And yes....You know who you are, all of you! Do you think your "community" would support you if they really knew how corrupt your hearts were? Do you really think they would be on forums such as this singing YOUR praises??

We were always taught about listening to our conscience and mine screamed loud and clear as I was making my exxodus "Run as far away from this place as you can!"

Sources:

• The originally testimony from Topix
• Factsheet about the facility (Fornits Wiki)

Jake at Heartland Christian Academy (From:Topix)

This testimony was found on Topix. All rights goes to the originally author Jake:

At age 12 I was sent to heartland after my mother had died in a drug deal and my father had remarried. I had lots of anger issues and was very disrespectful. At the time I was the oldest of 5 kids in my household and my step mother could not handle my attitude any longer. I hated her for coming into my fathers life and taking the place of the mother that I had lost. I was upset at the world, angry at every turn and needed help. My father gave in to my step mothers wishes and I was sent thousands of miles away from anything I knew to enter into the program.

At the age of 12 I was the youngest kid in the program. I was subjected to 15, 16 and 17 year old kids that were placed in the program for a great deal worse offenses that I had ever fathomed possible. I was there when we lived out by the dairy and although we were not forced to work there I felt that every day I was in the program was another day in hell. I was allowed one 10 minute phone call a week to my parents which was usually spent crying and begging them to let me come home. I was broken by how strict the staff was and and belittled I was made to feel as a young kid. I remember being made to eat slop and throwing it up and being swatted for not being able to hold it down. Looking back as a 23 year old man, this was absolutely ridiculous and I wished everyday that someone would save me from the torture of the life I lived in this dorm.

At the time swats were given out without any sighning of paperwork or reason. I remember doing PT with all the guys and not being able to keep up with the pace of the older kids and being swatted everytime I could not complete push ups of leg lifts. They would pray for me right before they would swat you. I look back and just cannot understand how they would be able to scew Gods will to that extent.

We were not allowed to speak with the opposite sex a nor have any contact with kids not in the program unless at school. Everything was very seperated from the rest of the facility. I remember on numerous occasions being yelled and screamed at by staff members because of the behavior of other kids in the program. I always felt I had to be aware of my surroundings and other kids as well. It was no way to live. After three monthes of this my father came and got me after all the begging I did.

In just one short year my father sent me back and told me I was staying until I graduated. A new facility and new additions to the school had been made since I had left. I was now 14 and starting my freshmen year. A new policy had been implemented for swats and I was to sign my name on a dotted line every time I recieved swats stating I had not been abused. I spent a year in the program the second time around. Although I was older it was not any easier. The same situations that had caused me to hate my life were still there. Lying staff members. Physical restraint when you decided you didnt deserve swats, 10 minute phone calls, the beds in the new facility were concrete as well as steel mesh shelves with absolutely zero privacy. The windows were blured out so you could not see outside. Flourecent lighting 24/7 which caused headaces all the time. I always felt that i was being punished for everyone elses faults. The situations I found myself getting in trouble for were very minor and one time I was accused of seeing a girl in school and was swatted the maximum amount on the rear as well the hands, all my clothing was taken and I was given an orange jumpsuit to wear for an extended period of time. Not only had I not commited the offense, I was not ever given an opportunity to prove myself. The staff members were corrupt liars who would do anyting to cover themselves.

Heartland taught me alot of things but nothing had to do with what they did for me. It was what I learned as a young man all by myself having to fend for my own life in a situation I had no control over. Think very long and hard before sending your children there!

Sources:

• The originally testimony from Topix
• Factsheet about the facility (Fornits Wiki)

Anonymous at Heartland Christian Academy (From:Topix)

This testimony was found on Topix in December 2012. All rights goes to the originally author who wants to remain anonymous:

This is an absolutely horrible place. I spent a year there with my entire family back in 2000. It was the worst experience of my life. The staff do not care about you a all. My parents originally sent my sister there because she was being rebellious and they didn't know how to handle her. They should have received counseling or something, anything but send her/us there. We ended up staying with her and they split our entire family us, saying we all needed help. It was heart breaking. My brothers were all split up and sent to live with a family, who physically abused them, but they were too afraid to talk about it. And my sisters and I were slit up as well. My parents were aso separated into different recovery programs, which my parents didn't need to recovery from anything. My parents or any of us children, including my sister had done alcohol or drugs ever. My parents needed guidance on how to deal with my sister, not on how to recovery.

I hate this place, with all my heart, and I am a Christ follower.This place does not exude Christ's love, instead it follows the philosphy of continual punishment. The school was not a good experience either. They separate the guys and girls in the classroom and you're not allowed to talk to each other or have any interactions with each other either in school or out of school. It's basically a prison.

We ended up leaving when another family who had once been there helped us to realize the evil therein. I think my parents were brainwashed into thinking they had all these problems which is why they stayed. I didn't find out what happenned to my brothers until years later. My little sister who was about 5 at the time, would pee in the bed sometimes, which I believe is a symptom of the familial split, and the director of our girl's home would give her cold showers in the morning, with her clothes on as punishment. That happenned a lot.

I cry as I think about the abusive way these people treated individuals there. I can't believe any parent would resort to this. Another reviewer is right, there were a lot of kids I knew who had been adopted from Russia and then just left there, as if it wasn't their responsibility to raise their own children. This place harms families and does not promote recovery. I could go on an on about this place, but it still hurts me to talk about it.

Please do not send your children here. Instead, find a marriage and family therapist and invest in your relationships instead of throwing them and their problems away as if you can't handle it. Thankfully everyone in my family turned out alright after this experience. All of us kids are successful adults with great careers.

I am currently a licensed counselor and I know that what happenned there is wrong. The Bible clearly says that parents are to train their children up in the way they should go so that when they are older, they will not depart from it. Therefore, parenting is the parent's responsibility and with God's help you can succeed. No child/teen is beyond help, and definitely does not deserve to go here.

Sources:

• The originally testimony from Topix
• Factsheet about the facility (Fornits Wiki)

Q/A about living in an ordinar religious boarding school

This Q & A statement was seen on the homepage NHYM alumni. All rights belongs to the original person answering the questions.

• What is your name?
  Deirdre Sugiuchi
• To which institutions were you sent?
  Escuela Caribe Jan 1990 - Jun 1991
  Canada 1991
  Marion fall 1991
• How old were you?
  15-17
• When were you enrolled in The Program?
  January 4th, 1990 - Dec 1991
• What was the highest level you attained?
  4th with weeks towards 5th
Please describe the circumstances that got you sent to The Program:
• In which house(s) did you live?
  DR: TKB
  Marion: Herrick
• Please describe instances of abuse you experienced while in the program, if any:
  I entered the program compliantly because I thought it was a Christian boarding school. That impression was reversed my second night when my housefather (HF) made me perform exercises for hours. According to him, I had "an authority problem" at home. He made me do bear crawls, pushups and duck walks. He had me hold my arms out balancing books until I cried from pain. Such interrogations are typically used to brainwash individuals.
  - When I entered the program I was very sick with an ear infection and strep throat. The staff ignored my illness. Later they said it was because they did not know if I was faking. I had to do the daily drills, and make it up the casita with my 6'4 (?) HF outrunning all of us girls. As a “low-ranker” I had to stay within an arms-length of him. On my first free day, I couldn't keep up with him (I am 5'4") when we hiked up a mountain, so he gave me push-up support- ten pushups for every five steps that we walked. Everyone else watched me. This continued until the house mother asked for a break. For the record, the supervising group leader did nothing to stop this mistreatment by the housefather.
  When I was depressed it was viewed as something I could control, and my points were routinely slashed because of it. I got low points for “moodiness” when I became withdrawn.
  - I was part of a group punishment session in which my entire house was forced to maintain a push-up position for hours. The house mom couldn't find a spatula. We were blamed for its disappearance. The session ended only when the house mom came in with the spatula, which she had misplaced. It hurt to laugh for days.
  Once I moved up the levels and became a high-ranker, I had more responsibility. Part of this responsibility entailed narc-ing on my peers. Another responsibility was that I had to inspect the low-rankers to make sure their privates were soaped during showers. One girl did not wash herself properly; the housefather said he could smell her. He required all low-rankers to have their soaped privates inspected during showers. This was an edict of a HF who later became assistant director. For the record, all students had a maximum of fifteen minutes to wash, dress, and leave their personal areas in perfect order. Low-rankers usually had much less than 15 minutes. Her hygiene problems most likely resulted from not having enough time to wash.
  The house fathers regulated how much food we ate at meals. My first HF enjoyed assigning a large amount of food to students. Many girls had a problem eating the large portions, not just me. His own wife, who was closer to our size, would eat about half of what he required us girls to eat. Eventually my stomach became accustomed to the portions, but I gained several pounds during my time in the program, despite spending the majority of my time working or completing forced exercises.
• Describe abuse of other students you witnessed, if any:
  During one of my first weeks in Escuela Caribe, my HF made a housemate do exercises for "becoming angry" during a counseling session. She “performed” exercises long past midnight; I could hear her outside the dormitory window. I learned from this incident never to express my true feelings about anything - not a healthy reaction in a supposedly “therapeutic” boarding school.
  - Two girls were molested by a housefather, K. When the school administration learned of K's inappropriate conduct he was fired, but he was never prosecuted. At the same time, a male teacher, R, confessed to looking at pornography with K. Not only did the administration not discipline R, they later promoted him to housefather in a GIRLS' house (see Tara's questionnaire for details about living with him). A few years later, he was convicted by an Indiana court of molesting one or more girls in his charge.
  These incidents should have never happened-the administration knew the staff member had predilections, but they ignored the danger signs, keeping R on staff. Furthermore, the administrator who failed to discipline R kept his position even after R. was convicted of sex crimes.
  - One fellow student asked K, the HF, for permission to use the bathroom for 8 hours straight, but he wouldn't let her because he claimed she was being “manipulative in the way she asked permission.” After dinner that night, she could no longer hold it and urinated on herself in front of the whole house.
  Another HF, JB, singled out a friend of mine. He played mind games with her, ignoring her requests to move from room to room. He abused her often in different sections of the house. We knew she was doing exercises; we could hear him yell. Once he ordered her to do pushups in front of the rest of the house, and when she was physically incapable of completing them (from exhaustion), he insisted that she continue. She kept falling and hitting the patio. The next day she had large purple bruises on her hipbones.
  - There were several students in the program who had obvious mental health issues. Instead of getting the psychiatric help they needed, they were treated as if they had authority problems and kept on low levels. Being on a low level for a long period of time was the kiss of death in the program because the staff would single out low-level students for punishment and humiliation.
  There are many more instances. I am in the process of writing a book detailing the abuse.
• Do you have any good memories of The Program? If so, what are they?
  I liked hiking in the pine forests. I enjoyed going to the aquarium. I liked going on privileges with Lisa, Liz and Doug, getting to know staff like Eric, Susie and Jay. I enjoyed participating in service projects. I made some friends. It was hard to form deep relationships because everything was monitored, and when you became close to someone, they would confront you for excluding others.
• What is your overall impression of The Program? Did it “help you”?
  No. I had several sets of house parents; the instability was difficult, especially since most were abusive and/or sadistic.
  I am a teacher and have completed courses on teaching students with special needs. Everything the program does—the strict schedule, the point sheets, focusing on negative behavior, not the positive, etc.—is how you are not supposed to treat children, at least according to the research.
  I would have been much better off had I gone to a normal, rather than punitive, boarding school, or if our family had gone to counseling.
• What do you think of the quality of education you received?
  Abysmal—we learned from workbooks.
  As a teacher, I realize that a lot of my classmates at Escuela Caribe struggled in school because the administration made no attempt to accommodate different learning styles. Any deviance—behavioral, emotional, academic—was viewed as rebellion.
  I learned to read at the age of four and have always been a self-learner. I attribute this skill to any academic success.
• How old are you today?
  38
• Did you go to college after attending The Program? If so, what degrees do you have?
  B.A. in English Literature, M.Ed. in Instructional Technology
• What is your profession?
  School Library Media Specialist, Writer
• Do you consider yourself a Christian today?
  I have spiritual beliefs but don't consider myself a Christian.
• What effect did “The Program” have on your faith?
  Before I entered the program I was a Christian. I was raised in a strong Christian family. Being in the program and being tortured in the name of God changed the way I felt about Christianity. I equate my experience there with religious abuse. I no longer participate in organized religion.
• Please feel free to add comments here:
  Despite their “certification,” staff members are not certified to treat students with special needs. Any program as isolated as the Escuela Caribe is almost guaranteed to be abusive, by virtue of its isolation.
  According to the National Institutes of Health, boot camp programs like EC do not work, and may exacerbate a student's problems. What does work is utilizing family counseling to address dysfunctional relationships, as opposed to placing the burden of responsibility on the child, who is simply acting out in response to the family's problems.
  Any program that restricts communication is suspect, especially at the level used by Escuela Caribe.
  Escuela Caribe uses excessive physical punishment, emotional and verbal abuse to keep children under control. It has a history of neglecting the health of students.
  Most of my classmates were sent to Escuela Caribe for minor offenses. However, isolating your child with other troubled children, makes deviance become that child's norm, practically guaranteeing they find it difficult to adjust to “normal” life after they are released or find “normal teens” as friends.

Sources:

• The original Statement on NHYM-ALUMNI
• Datasheet about the boarding school on Fornits Wiki

Documentary project is asking for money

Kidnapped for Christ Trailer from Kidnapped For Christ on Vimeo.

A group are working to create a documentary about Escuela Caribe which is a feared Christian boarding school located in the Dominican Republic.

In the past they used corporal punishment. Due to lack of regulation they had at a point hired a child offender as employee.

There are many stories to be told about this place. Some of them you can read in the book called Jesus Land.

However the boarding school have more stories to be told and you can help them with some money so the documentary can be finished.

Below you can find various sources with more information about the school and the documentary project.

Sources:

• Escuela Caribe datasheet (Fornits Wiki)
• Jesus Land: A Memoir (Alex Awards (Awards)) (Amazon)
• About the project (documentary.org)
• Kidnapped For Christ - Info (Facebook page about the project)

This is a repost from Secret Prisons for Teens - a human rights organization in Denmark

At stay at the Shepherds Hill Farm (From youthsright.org)

This story was originally written on a webpage created to provide statements for a GAO hearing in 2007. The address is cafety.youthrights.org and it waits for your statement if you believe that your stay at a boarding school included unfair treatment or even abuse. All rights and credits goes to the Anonymous contributor, who posted the original story on cafety.youthrights.org

DECLARATION UNDER PENALTY OF PERJURY PURSUANT TO 28 USCA 1746

I, _____ [Anonymous]_____________, declare and state as follows:

1. 1. [Shepherds Hill Farm]..
2. 2. [2200 Price Road, Martin, GA 30557 ]
3. 3. [01/02 to 01/05]

When I lived at home with my family I grew up hanging out with older kids; kids who my father, and other parents of the neighborhood viewed as trouble makers. We mainly hung out and smoked pot, drank occasionally and hung around the neighborhood. When I was younger I was sent to a boarding school in Stone Mountain, GA by the name of Gables Academy. It was actually a very good school for the most part. However, I was a problem child of sorts. I never did anything serious but I would talk back to teachers, complain, smoke pot when I was home on break, but never anything serious. One of the “counselors” named Sean who stayed with the boys during the day and night never liked me much and often yelled in my face and insulted me. One day I was standing on the porch with a couple other students minding my own business, as I see Sean walking up to the porch with the PE teacher. I hear Sean say to the PE teacher “Hey, watch this” and laugh a little. He then walked up to me on the porch and unexpectedly punched me in the side of the head, knocking me to the ground and causing my vision to fade to black for a couple of seconds. I got up and ran into my room and locked myself in. The next day Sean took me behind a trailer, broke down into tears and begged me to not go to the authorities and get him in trouble, because he would lose his wife, his job and go to jail, and have his life ruined. Within a short time after that (I believe a week or so) I was told I was being expelled and sent to Shepherds Hill Farm. Shepherds Hill Farm was a wilderness christian therapy program owned by the owner of Gables Academy as far as I understand, for the students that Gables could no longer handle. Very soon after I arrived at SHF I was told that SHF and Gables Academy split ties and were no longer together. I believe this may have been done to try and distance themselves from the incident of Sean hitting me, but I do not know for certain. My father (now deceased) was a Greek Orthodox priest and Trace Embry(owner of SHF) is somewhat of a preacher and presents himself as a Godly man, so I believe Trace was able to use this to connect and manipulate my father with. I believe Trace convinced my father that this would be a safe healthy environment, that would bring me closer to god, away from the older supposed drug addicts who were my friends and I would get an education. I believe my father thought it was similar to monasteries in Greece. However my father never saw what went on past the facade at the top of the hill. He never saw the wood shacks we built deep in the woods and lived in with no electricity or running water or any type of entertainment or source of true self expression, he never saw the horrible horrible education they forced on us, and that I was against but still given. When I arrived I was brought to the porch of a house in the middle of the country with acers of land. It smelt like flowers and I will admit was very appealing to the eyes. Trace Embry sat me down as staff and he went through all my belongings picking out what I could and could not have. Trace began to ask me about myself and my history and informed me about the school and how it was run. He told me my clothes were demonic and other silly nonsense that I tried to ignore. I was feeling extremely angry, depressed, hopeless, abandoned (though I later learned my mother never wanted me in the program and this greatly worried Trace Embry) and scared. Trace told me to go into the “school house” which was a trailer a few feet away with a counselor “teaching” without accreditation. I was introduced to the class and sat down. As Trace left the room I said under my breath “what a jackass.” The “teacher” heard me and went running, and yelling for Trace after him. Trace came running back into the school building with paddle. He bent me over in front of the class and gave me a swat. I cussed and said “What the fuck?” He bent me over and gave me another swat. I started to walk back to my seat and he grabbed me and yanked me towards him and bent me over and gave me another swat, and told me “you hug me after you receive a swat!” I said “No, why would I hug a person who just hit me?” He hit me again and began to give me special meals. “Tell me your sorry” he would say and I replied “Why?” He would say “ok thats a week of special meals”, anytime I said why after that I got another week. In the meantime two girls began crying and went outside with two counselors. I received somewhere between a month and a half of special meals and two and a half months of special meals. Special meals are when you are feed a cold can of beans and a can of some type of greens with water. The food they normally feed the students is food that is picked up from food banks and other places similar where they do not have to pay for it, or pay very very little. They would get cartons of 2-3 day expired milk from the milk packaging facility to give to us. The food quality was horrible and it in no way met the requirements of nutrition we would have needed for the amount of strenuous manual labor we did near 24/7. We were told that special meals were a healthy vegan diet and was very good for us. That is absolute bs, vegans eat a large variety of foods in order to meet their daily intake and often take supplements and or vitamins as well; they do not simply eat a can of beans and a can of beats each day. That is food deprivation and one of the many forms of abuse they offer for $58,900 annually. I was punished for eating toothpaste after being on special meals for so long because I craved flavor so bad and was so hungry. Other students were caught eating dog food while on special meals. One boy by the name of Bobby (I will get to more on him later) was nearly always on special meals, and looked like a skeleton. He would often get caught stealing food or snacks out of the kitchen or somewhere and would be punished and given more special meals. One day the child was put in a room alone with nothing else. The counselor places candy bars around him in a circle and told Bobby “we know how many candy bars are here, if any are missing when we come back in two hours you will be punished.” All of the other students laughed. When we came back 2 hours later, several candy bars were missing. Bobby cried and screamed and denied it but he was beaten and given more special meals. When he went home for Christmas break Trace told his parents to continue giving him special meals for Christmas. They did, however Bobby was caught eating a horse biscuit and was sent back to the farm early. We were not allowed to look at or make any type of communication with anyone of the opposite sex. We were also not allowed to talk to other students unless staff was with us. We were only allowed to talk to the staff and the camp owners. All ingoing and outgoing mail and phone calls were monitored. We had no electricity, no running water, no communication with the outside world or anything “secular”, we lived in giant wooden huts that we built ourselves with hand saws and axes and no building knowledge. The “counselors” had no experience nor qualification to do their jobs they also received no training. They were college students, high school students and a couple higher ups who had college degrees but no qualification for what they did. We performed manual labor for hours upon hours in all climates from blistering heat, to snow and or rain. Homosexuals and those of different religions (mainly just me) were singled out and picked on and made to look like evil people but to be pitted and not trusted. If you visit shepherdshillfarm.org you can see a picture of one of the huts we built and lived in. believe that Trace Embry is a twisted sick man who used his good way with words and the bible, to abuse children and rob parents and families of $58,900 a year. I believe he is a threat to children, to parents, and family's and by extension voting and all of society and the future. Trace and his wife are sick people who are leading a cult and harming hundreds and hundreds of innoncent people. No one deserves to be treated the way I was treated at SHF; treated like some scumbag would treat a dog. I have horrible anxiety and nervousness. I have a hard time being around authority figures because they frighten me inside very much. I have talked to other former students of SHF, from around when I went. They agree to be in a class action law suit against SHF. Some of them have had to undergo VERY MUCH therapy and real, professional help to heal the wounds left on them by SHF and Trace. I really hope you can help me or at least help get the word out about SHF so that other ex students may come forward. This place absolutely needs to be investigated and shut down. At first all the students would be opposed to the farm and what they did. However over time they all began to go along with it. Soon enough they all enjoyed it for the most part and proclaimed the farm was helping, loving and saving them. They all wanted to be baptized. The bible was continuously used to validate every single thing they did. Trace uses his great way with words, and his knowledge of the bible to justify what he does while at the same time tricking parents and kids. He constantly preaches about how great he is and how love is not what most people think. Love according to Trace is punishing kids and abusing them. To Trace using sleep deprivation, food deprivation, humiliation, brain washing, child slave labor, encouraging racism and homophobia, physically beating children is all doing what the Lord wants and calls for and is the true way to love someone. If you go to www.shepherdshillfarm.org and listen to their podcast for Nov 19, you will hear some of Traces very strange views. One day at the farm after Trace finished preaches I raised my hand and I said “You are brainwashing us”, Trace smiled at me and replied “Yes we are! We are brainwashing you in the blood of the lamb!” Everyone laughed and shook their heads at me in agreeing with Trace. On the podcast for Nov 19 he says that very thing. That he is “brainwashing kids in the blood of Jesus” In the Nov 19 podcast he also describes an event where a child tried to escape at a mall from her mother while visiting her and they had to restrain her and bring her back to SHF. She was told they did it out of love and for Jesus and she agreed. I saw this on the Heal legal page- “Certain official agencies have stated that the “escort services” provided by these programs constitutes kidnapping and those providing this type of service may be prosecuted on felony charges for kidnapping. Contact the FBI to report crimes of kidnapping. “ I went home at one point and I thought I would not have to go back to the farm. However, my father gave me a drug test and I failed it for THC. I refused to go back to the farm. In the morning I woke up to two very large men walking in my room. I noticed my father driving off and leaving the house. I said “Who are you!” and they threw a pair of pants at me and told me to put them on. They said “We are bounty hunters to take you back to Shepherds Hill Farm.” They told me I could come calmly or they could cuff my hands and feet. I figured I better not fight the police so I went with them calmly. I made a post on the Richard Dawkins web forum about medical misinformation that Trace has on his blog. He encourages parents to take children off medication and provides misinformation about certain psychological conditions and has zero tolerance to give advice on medication or to take his students off their medication. He had talked students out of taking all types of medicine including anti-seizure medicine. I witnessed two students have what appeared to be seizures. Shaking on the ground foaming at the mouth, Trace and his staff held the children down and prayed for demons to leave them. The thread I made on the Richard Dawkins forum was picked up by someone named Peter Harrison who made a blog on his website titled “Shepherds Hill Farm - The Great Child Abuse Secret” on afraidofthelight.co.uk Trace replied a few times telling us how great he was and how much smarter he was. It soon turned into me listing allegations of child abuse, this enraged Trace however he ignored the allegations over and over again and simply told me I was suffering THC delusions (that does not exist) or was evil or possessed by demons. He told us we were all evil atheist doing satans work trying to shut down his farm and that we needed Jesus in us. Here I will post the list of some of the abusive things that happened while there. I say abusive because my parents paid hundreds of thousands of dollars for what Trace told them would be a safe, non threatening, therapeutic wilderness program that would help and heal me. SHF instead has left me with psychological wounds that I have suffered from for many years, they did not help me one tiny tiny bit, anything positive that I gained while there was due to me being strong and overcoming the oppresive environment. I have talked to many other students (ones who were told “its your fault for being raped you whore” basically in front of the whole school and other things) and it has taken them years and years of REAL therapy to overcome the wounds they gained while there. My father was tricked into taking out his life insurance policy to pay for my tuition. My father is now dead and my brother, I and my mother received nothing because he gave it all to Trace. My mother is on disability can not work and has only disability for income (very little). I repeatedly told my father, Trace and other staff that I wished to leave and wanted to die. I told them I would rather be in jail that in SHF but I was kept there. Trace has parents sign over parental guardianship to him so he can tell us “everything we do to you is legal. I own you and your parents agree to this.” He would also say “Besides who would believe you, a troubled drug addict teen or me, an owner of a successful program and an ex cop and preacher?” Trace would tell our parents that whenever kids get there they will tell their parents they want to leave and everything will be fine if they let them come home. Trace told them “do not believe this, they are trying to control and manipulate you.” If someone told me “if your kid tells you I abused them don't believe it.” I would probably either punch them in the face or call the police. I never wanted to be there. I repeatedly said I wanted to leave. My mother called Social Services while I was there but no one would go to SHF and investigate. If they did they would only be shown the top of the camp and not where children live and the things they do and undergo every day for usually 2 years. My parents were never shown any of the horrible things, only the good fake part. At the top of the school is Traces house and some other trailers, however a mile down into the forest is the boys camp and half a mile or more is the girls. The Greek Orthodox priest who was friends with my dad that came to see me was never showed the horrible part or what it was like. The entire time I was there I dreamed of some type of organization or group of people that I could contact and that would believe and help me. The only thing I could think of would be an anarchist organization however I knew nothing about them or how to contact one, especially with no electricity or contact with the outside world. I had no idea groups like HEAL, ISAC and Caftey existed. We were continuously told we were minors and belonged to Trace and had 0 rights or civil liberties. I was even forced to go to church. I told them I was against it and did not wish to enter in their Church as it was against my beliefs and religious beliefs. They told me to bad and made me go anyway. This is what I was told any time I brought up the bill of rights or legal matters. I was a slave and prisoner against my will for no crimes, they knew it and knew that I knew it but couldn't do anything. Thank science they exist and are doing what they do! They are great people! Here I will copy paste the list of abusive things I made on Richard Dawkins forum.

1. 1."Special Meals"- I was placed on something termed by the farm as "special meals" for a month and a half. I was feed a can of beens (a can of some type of vegetable for dinner) and bread a piece of fruit and water everyday for a month and a half. SHF claims this is a healthy vegan diet. It just does not taste good because it is punishment. Vegans eat a much much wider variety of foods in order to get the vitamins and protein their body requires. They usually take some type of vitamin or supplement as well.
2. Child in river- There was a student at SHF by the name of Bobby who would wet his bed. Without getting outside medical advice from an unbiased professional doctor, or psychiatrist. Instead they assumed the child was just wetting his bed out of disobedience and in order to cause havoc. Their cure? Make the child strip to his underwear in front of all his peers and bathe in the river. It was extremely extremely cold outside. He would then be made to carry his mattress a mile up hill to wash it, with or without help from staff or peers. Also, they made the kid wear a diaper. I do not know if they forced him to or not but I remember seeing him walking around in nothing but a diaper. Students would make fun of him calling him "Gandhi" because he looked like a skeleton(from months of food deprivation and taunting with candy bars for hours), wore a diaper, and carried a walking stick.
3. Horse allergy- I am allergic to horses. One day a counselor made everyone ride horses. I told the counselor that "I would like to, but I am allergic to horses", the counselor said "No! You just do not want to participate! You will ride the horse or you will receive a swat(paddle)". Being threatened I got on the horse. I broke out in hives, students and the camp nurse said I looked green and I was having difficulty breathing. The counselor apologized but that does not change the fact of what was done and the danger he placed me in.
4. Paddling- Students were spanked with a paddle. Some had bruises that lasted a week or more. We would be spanked for anything from asking "why?" after being told to do something or saying "no." If we did not hug Trace after he paddled us we would receive another swat. Why would someone want to hug someone that just hit you?
5. Brainwashing- They would take our books or not allow us to have them if they were deemed in appropriate. This includes mainly religious texts other then the bible or anything christian and nearly any type of secular book. They completely controlled our sensory input. They admitted themselves that they were brainwashing us, “brainwashing you in the lamb of the blood!” yuck and weird!
6. Contacting our parents- When arriving to the farm we were allowed no contact with out parents for the first few months whatsoever. After this we were allowed to write letter and receive them from only our parents. However they would be censored before coming in or out. They would read them and tell us to take things out or change things if they were deemed inappropriate,
7. Children building unsafe structures- 13 year old kids with no construction knowledge were made to build unsafe structures to live in. We would cut the trees down ourselves with hand saws and axes all without electricity or running water.
8. Tuition- Our parents paid a tuition that was higher then the tuition to most universities in the U.S. Yet we were feed food they got from food banks for free or next to nothing. I remember the counselor taking us to the milk plant nearby, where we would be given crates of their day or usually two day old milk for free because it was expired and going to be thrown away. We were then given this milk for food/drink. We had no running water, no electricity, lived in wooden huts we built with our own hands without electricity and with rusty hand saws. Not to mention the special meals, which were even weaker.
9. "School"- Their "school" is now accredited. In their "science" classes we were indoctrinated with the christian story. We were forced to watch Kent Hovind videos, as if he and all his "theorys" have not already been debunked. We were taught the world was 2000 years old and created by God. That is as absurd to me as teaching in a science class that gravity does not exist, but is actually god holding everyone down with his finger . I also at one point had to explain to my science teacher what plate tectonics were. He had never heard of such a thing, and thought I made it up...until another student said she learned the same thing in a real school.
10. Absurd accusations- The half way house at the farm was covered in flies during the summer. One day Trace wanted to talk with me one on one outside of the half way house. We sat and talked about Christianity. I of course was extremely dirty , sweaty, and smelly. After all I had been living in the woods and doing hard manual labor all day, with a shower twice a week. Trace on the other hand lived in a house and looked and smelled as if he had just come out the shower. He asked me if according to biblical terms would I rather be called a fool or a wise man? I replied a fool because the bible is rubbish to me. He replied " Ya know Anon, it's very interesting to me that all the flies are landing on you and none on me. Do you know that the devil in the bible is called Beelzebub-the lord of flies!" Later on when Trace had every student in the program and every counselor in a room together he was preaching to us. He went on and suddenly started to describe our private conversation to everyone. He said "Anon willingly would be called a fool instead of a wise-man." He then told everyone about the fly thing. He said that he believes I could be possessed by demons or Beelzebub. This was humiliating to say the least, and hardly humble at all on his part. Later a counselor came to me and told me that he thought the fly thing was absurd and silly. He said the flys were landing on you Anon because you live in the woods, haven't bathed in days and are extremely dirty..unlike Trace. Another child was sent to SHF after being raped at her highschool. Trace asked her if she knew what a whore was. She replied “someone who sleeps around with everyone?” Trace responded “Yes ,, dont you think you fit the bill?” and I believe then punished her.
11. Queers, homos and fags!- Trace would very often make jokes about gays, and homosexuals and "going to brown town” (saintly words, I know! He sure is the next St. Nektarios!) that I assume would be extremely offense to homosexuals. He taught it was sinful, wrong, evil and unnatural.
12. Medical misinformation- It seems to me and everyone else Trace has been debunked on his Anhedonia claims, and insists on providing dangerous medical misinformation on his website.
13. Prayer instead of medical attention- A child once was being disobedient. The child then suddenly collapsed and had what appeared to, my eyes, be a seizure (I do not know for certain, I am no doctor). The staff simply held him down got in a circle and prayed for the demons to leave him. Later the staff told us the student had green (or some color) foam coming from his mouth as he convulsed. The student soon stopped and went back to normal. Prayer cured him, we were told. This sounds similar to the story that has been in the news lately. The one where the child had diabetes and the family got around and prayed for the child instead of calling an ambulance, except in this case the child died and the parents were sentenced to prison.
14. Parental alienation syndrome- Parental Alienation Syndrome (PAS), consisting of the manipulation of children by the custodial parent, who incessantly tries to turn them against the other parent by arousing in them feelings of hatred and contempt for the target parent, as explained in the book Marital Conflicts, Divorce, and Children's Development (Conflictos matrimoniales, divorcio y desarrollo de los hijos, edited by Piramide), by professors Jose Canton Duarte, Ma Rosario Cortes Arboleda, and Ma Dolores Justicia Diaz, from the Department of Evolutionary and Educational Psychology of the University of Granada. This was repeatedly done to students. Thank God the students usually took great offense to this. We would be told our parents had failed us or had enabled us to make us even worse. We were told most of our parents needed to be in the program just as much if not more then we did. Trace also acted as if my mother was insane because she placed such a big influence on humility within the Christian religion, was against SHF and wanted me to come home and not bei n the program.
    
    Reference:
    Parental Alienation Syndrome Suffered By 1 Out Of 4 Children Involved In A Divorce (Medical News Today)
    
15. Medical attention- Teens were encouraged to stop taking their medication. Nearly everyone was on medications though. Some were talked into discontinuing their meds. These kids off of their medication sleep/slept around axes and saws and sludgehammers every night. I also witnessed people be taken off of anti seizure medicine and held down and prayed for while having seizures and foaming at the mouth. My parents requested that I be taken to a dermatologist for my acne outbreaks. Months later (much to late) I was then talked out of taking acutane, by the camp “nurse”. My acne got much much worse, without the acutane. When I left the farm years later I had acne and scars all over my face. My mother took me to a dermatologist who told me that I should had taken acutane years before and I wouldn't have any scars. He then prescribed me acutane and I have not had any acne outbreak in years sense.
    
    I once woke up during the winter and I could not move my neck whatsoever. I told the staff and they took me to the camp “nurse” a quack who lived in a trailer on campus because her daughter went to school there and she wanted to be close to her. The nurse simply told me to put a neck brace on. I put it on and I could not move my neck up, down or to the sides for nearly an entire month. I do not know why this happened but I suspect it could have been something very serious and that I should have been taken to a real doctor.

I give HEAL, ISAC and Caftey permission to use this statement. I declare under penalty of perjury that the foregoing is true and correct. Executed on _____November 23______________, 2009. ________________________________ [Anonymous] [Contact me through http://www.heal-online.org/shepfarm.htm] [] [] SPECIAL NOTE: STATUTE DOES NOT REQUIRE NOTARY] References: Datasheet about the boarding school at Fornits Home for Wayward Web Fora The original statement on cafety.youthrights.com

A stay at the Hephzibah House (from:Youthrights.org)

This story was originally written on a webpage created to provide statements for a GAO hearing in 2007. The address is cafety.youthrights.org and it waits for your statement if you believe that your stay at a boarding school included unfair treatment or even abuse. All rights and credits goes to the annonymous contributor, who posted the original story on cafety.youthrights.org

When I was 14 years old my parents decided to take me to “Hephzibah House” in Winona Lake, Indiana, where I would stay for 15 months. N

ow, twelve years later, the nightmare and memories that were “Hephzibah House” only bring me pain and hurt as I remember my stay there.

When I was just a little girl of eight years, my brother began sexually abusing me. This abuse continued for about a year, despite my pleas to my parents that this was happening, and me begging my parents to believe me and to help me. I was so sad that my parents never believed me, that even after the abuse stopped, I never felt safe again in my own house.

I grew bitter and angry and hurt as the months and years followed that my own mother and father never even once believed me. This bitterness resulted in constant fights between my family and me and ultimately led to my decision to run away. I only wanted to find peace and safety somewhere.

I was not sexually active, I had not tried drugs or alcohol and was actually very active in the Mormon LDS church at the time – this being my only salvation and my only safe place I knew. My parents decided the LDS church was a cult and didn’t want me to attend it. In the end, the constant tension and my parents’ twisted views led them to the conclusion that “something needed to be done” to “fix me”.

Remember, from the very onset of my victimization of sexual abuse at age eight, they never believed me and only sought to berate me and exile me emotionally from the family. One day, my father and grandfather told me we would be taking a nice little trip just for me, together - to get away. I had no idea that this “trip” would be to Indiana and that I was going to be left at a boarding school for fifteen months. Had I known what I was about to experience, I would have run away to save my own life.

Upon my arrival, the realization that I was going not be going back home with my family left me feeling absolute shock, betrayal, fear of the unknown, and a desperate terror of what was to lay ahead. I was taken to an office in the front of the house with my father, grandfather, and “Pastor Williams”. Pastor Williams started explaining the rules of “Hephzibah House” and he and my father were reviewing some sort of documents that apparently my father had already signed - giving them full custody of me for fifteen months! I was cold. Time stood still and I felt as though I was watching myself from outside my own body, that this was truly unreal in some way, and that it would magically stop. I felt tingling in my hands and feet, and this tingling started to creep further and further up my arms and legs. I thought I was going to literally faint.

When Pastor Williams started talking about corporal punishment, I had had enough. Pastor Williams went on to say that corporal punishment was legal in the state of Indiana. I bolted upright and started running for the door saying under my breath that I was not going to stay at this nut house! When I reached the door I realized it was bolted - all the way up the door - and that I was locked in! I desperately looked around for my Grandfather, I trusted him and I knew he would save me, but he was gone! Only twelve years later did I learn that my trust was well placed that day – my mother recently told me that as I was screaming to be saved, my Grandfather had been forced to the outside of the building that was “Hephzibah House” and was locked out!

Pastor Williams then called all his six sons in the room who circled around me and held me down as Mrs .Williams began beating me with a huge stick they called the “rod of god”. I started screaming – I thought this was the end, that I was going to be beaten to death, and prayed for the end to come quickly. I was then handed over to Pastor Williams himself who also began beating me with this long rod from the top of my body to my knees. The pain was unbearable! Oh God – the pain – and my heart was exploding in a desperate sadness as I watched my own father being ordered by Pastor Williams to take the rod and help beat me with it. My father seemed to almost be afraid of Pastor Williams, and he seemed disoriented, so with tears streaming down his face, he raised the rod in the air and meekly spanked me on my behind 5 or 10 times. Pastor Williams shouted over my desperate screams that my father “had raised a selfish spoiled daughter and that he would go to hell if he did not use the rod of god” - then my father dropped the rod and left the room, sobbing. At this point, numbness set in. I didn’t feel the pain any longer…I couldn’t even scream, my voice was hoarse and my throat in pain…I just waited to die.

The next thing I remembered was that my father was gone and I was taken to a shower where I was stripped of all my personal clothes and given a Hephzibah house uniform. While I was in the shower I realized that my entire body was covered in bruises and I was locked up with no way out. The next few weeks were agony for me as it hurt to sleep or sit. I was filled with hate and anger. For the next fifteen months I refused to yield to Pastor Williams’ fanatical “Baptist” teachings, teachings that in my opinion stripped the spirit of God and Christ himself from the very Bible that the “Pastor” read from.

The next fifteen months would bring a string of abuses to us in ways I could never have imagined, before or since. “Talking lists” - where the communication was to exclude anything from my past life and past friends. These “lists” at the school would have 1-2 girls on them that I would be allowed to talk too as long it was in the presence of a staff member. Nothing was EVER private. Any form of communication to other girls such as eye contact, using hand motions, anything - would result in “demerits”. Too many demerits would lead to a loss of privileges: no food, three minute showers, having to wear your uniform to church which would show the public that you were a “bad girl”, being shadowed by another girl 24/7, to being beaten by the “rod of God”.

Each day we would have to write on a “BM” board if we had “pooped” or not in the toilet, and then were forced to write down on the board what our “poop” was like – was it large, small or medium? Was it diarrhea? Did we only pee? Not only was this a public shame, but our most intimate bodily functions were displayed for all the girls too see. I never did understand the reasoning for this.

Every week we were allowed to write one letter to our parents and our home Pastor on Sunday. These letters were censored and if we did not write what we were told, the letter would be trashed. My parents and pastor were allowed to write to me, but many of mothers letters were “blacked out”. Every three months my parents were allowed to come visit. These visits would be inside of the building and we would have a staff member present to watch what we would say to each other. If anything was said out of context of their “approved” communications, the visits would be cut short and I wouldn’t see my parents for another three months.

The depression from Hephzibah House was overwhelming. Many girls remember a bucket where you would put your dirty period pads, although I do not remember this bucket. This leads me to believe that I may have stopped my period during my time there, which was very common among the girls. Monday through Friday we would attend school which was taught by the PACE curriculum which I really didn’t know anything about. I know it’s a Christian series of books that you have to complete in a sequence to get to the “next level”. Because I love learning and reading I threw myself in these books hoping to make myself forget for just a few minutes how much I hated Hephzibah House and my life.

Wednesday nights, Sunday morning and Sunday nights consisted of church. The church sermons were filled with the terror of hell and burning forever if we did not convert and give our lives over to God. Pastor Williams brought a sense of fear and dread for death. The sermons left you feeling scared of the world and the ways of the world. I remember a church sermon where Pastor Williams spoke of the Rod of God and how important it was that the mothers and fathers need to hide these rods from social services and the police because they didn’t understand the ways of biblical teaching and those of God. Another sermon was given shortly after I got there about Mormonism and how Mormons were going to burn in Hell. Pastor Williams told me they had burned my Book of Mormon. Another day I remember it was “free time”, a time we could sew or do projects or write home, and a new girl had arrived. I heard her screams of terror and of pain and I knew she was being beaten. Tears fell down my face silently as I prayed earnestly for God to be with her. How I hated Pastor Williams!

The remaining months began to go by quickly as I learned how to become a survivor and how to deal with Hephzibah House without receiving demerits and/or having any attention paid to me. I told Pastor Williams I wanted to be baptized in hopes that this could get me home and out of his private hell.

On my 15th month, to the day, I was called upstairs where my parents were there to pick me up. I wasn’t allowed to say good bye to anyone or anything. My things had already been packed and were waiting for me. I don’t remember the drive home all the way back to Virginia. So many things I think I blacked out in my mind. After a few weeks at home, I realized how bad Hephzibah House really was. I recently had a conversation with my mother for the first time in twelve years about Hephzibah House. She broke out crying saying she tried to have them let me go home but because they had signed me over to them that there was nothing they could do. My mother said she tried to contact the Winona Lake Police but that they said Hephzibah House was a good school!

Now, twelve years later the pain and hurt that comes with the memories of Hephzibah House will not go away. I am now a mother, college graduate, a successful realtor and soon a real estate broker! Yet with all my accomplishments and success in life I can not seem to forget Hephzibah House. The nightmares still come…and as I lay alone at night in my bedroom, I still hear the screaming of myself and the other girls in my mind…I still see my father sobbing…I still see Pastor Williams and I am afraid…and I wonder…how can this kind of pure evil exist in our world, and in our own country? I hope this testimony will help another mother not send her daughter to this school or other schools like this. I hope that if there is another girl that went to this school and has these memories that she realizes she is not alone. We are SURVIVORS and I hope that we can band together to help our country see what is going on here and to shut them down once and for all!

References:
Datasheet about the boarding school at Fornits Home for Wayward Web Fora
The original statement on cafety.youthrights.com