IN - Allegations of child abuse at Hephzibah House, Winona Lake, 2018

Found a frightening article about a boys “school” in West Virgina that compares to this HH. I don’t know if there is anything helpful here, but perhaps you will get some ideas of how to get the help needed to close this down.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/rapes...cape-christian-school-was-hell-for-these-boys
[h=2]Blue Creek Academy was an abusive hell on earth, former students say—and the principal who ran it is now heading up a new Bible school in another state.[/h]
 
I agree that the Dr Phil show would definitely be interested in your story! He’s always doing shows about child abuse. Here’s the show contact form: https://plugger.drphil.com/plugger/respond/?plugID=15938 Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Phil has shilled for similar (although nominally secular and slightly less batshit) so-called schools in the not-so-distant past, and has sent several kids there on his show. Mainly Aspen franchises, currently his main favorite/sponsor seems to be Turnabout Ranch. Mild compared to Hepzibah (sort of like syphilis being mild compared to Ebola) but based on the same ****ed-up psyhcological model. He's just about the last celebrity to go to bat for your cause, it would hit too close to home. Edit: links https://www.reddit.com/r/troubledteens/ http://tales-from-the-black-school.blogspot.com/ Fornits.com is now pretty much dead but definitely worth checking out, as long as you don't mind sifting through tons of trolling and shitposts: http://www.fornits.com/phpbb/
 
Williams is in his 70's now. Hephzibah house is teaming with "staff" Jim Kagin is Handyman. He is also head huntsman if a girl escapes and has beaten many many girls over the years. He is married to Ron William's first underage student. Dawn Kagin who is cook and overseer of all things food for the compound. Their child Shaphen stayed at HH and married very young 18, I believe, to Naomi Williams many years older than him They are both staff and live in the school street building above the office. The have several children. Donald Williams is the pastor of Believers Chapel and is Williams oldest son, he is married to Wenda and they have 10 children. They are both staff at Hephzibah house. The Hayman husband and wife are assistant pastor and she is staff I cannot remember if she is a secretary or is the "nurse" So far that is 10 adult full time staff positions that live on compound property. There may be more.

Next are the dorm mothers. These are single young women who are either former students or recruited from churches by pastors Williams knows well. These Women must agree to live side by side with the girls in the basement 24 hours a day with one day off a week. They receive no pay and must raise support from family and church members of their home church to live on. Williams controls this money, controls how they spend their free time, censors their mail and phone calls as he sees fit. These women vow to follow Williams headship and agree not to date or associate with young men in any way. They are not allowed to bring a car to HH in most cases and can only go to town if chaperoned. The head staff lady right now is Teresa Dawson. under her are 3-5 women. So that is at least 15 full time staff for about 12 girls. Full capacity is 24 but Williams figured out a long time ago that he can pull in just as much cash with 12 and it is much less work.

Girls that come to Hephzibah house are "broken". It is a stated goal and the term refers to actually bypassing the natural instinct to fight back and self protect. Once a girl is "broken" she remains pretty docile and complacent with just occasionally reenforcement. Whatever he dreams up they go through it is intense. I still feel Williams fingers in my head to this day. It changes as people get wise to what he is doing, but the goal is the completely break the child. We always figure out what he is doing about they time he moves to a different tactic. I never knew a girl Williams could not break mentally.

Hugs to you and prayers to all those going through this now. Breakers my heart, my 13 year old is such a confident sassy little thing can't imagine these children being broken this way. There's a special place for all involved whom have harmed children and continue to harm children. :(
 
I’m not sure if this could help, but thought it would be worth a mention to get this more attention.

A YouTuber - John Lordan, does great work on various cases. I can pass on your website via twitter DM to him, if you like? Or you could of course.

https://www.youtube.com/user/GeekenDorx

Twitter username - LordanArts


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Small world. They probably have no idea Hephzibah House is even there.
I briefly told him about this on the phone last night, and he said he thinks he’s seen the girls, but with Grace College right down the street and its own conservative nature, I don’t know how he’d be able to discern that. I am very tempted to do a drive by when I drop my daughter off on Friday.
 
Disgruntled, I sent a link to your website to a well-respected investigative reporter. Fingers are crossed she can point our noses in a helpful direction. We all need to reach out and spread this information. Something meaningful may take hold. We can't just scroll and roll, ya know. Gives me shivers to think this is our Veep's home state that he "governed".
 
Mother Jones, old (and long) article
Horror Stories From Tough-Love Teen Homes

Girls locked up inside fundamentalist religious compounds. Kandahar? No, Missouri.

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2011/08/new-bethany-ifb-teen-homes-abuse/4/

Thanks for the link. I recall reading this story back then, when there was more of an effort to regulate and stop the horrific torture in these "schools". Somehow, the issue is off the public radar now.

JMO, raising awareness on social media, Reddit, etc. may bring a new generation of supporters to the cause. It's a shame the Times Up and other movements aren't talking about this. Modern feminism needs to refocus their priorities just a little.
 
Dear Disgruntled:

First of all, you write beautifully well. Your first post detailing your horrific experiences was exceptionally eloquent and powerful. Please don't doubt your ability to either write well, or to move your audience. You can and you do.

Second. I agree with Gitana and those who think seizing upon the Turpin story to draw attention to this HH obscenity is a great idea.

The caveat to that , though, is that the Turpin story won't stay in the headlines for much longer, imo, before there is a long pre-trial (or plea settlement) stretch of relative headline silence.

A larger "hook," and one that has already demonstrated staying power & the power to topple what once seemed immovable, is the "MeToo" movement. (I'm not suggesting this as a political statement, btw).

Many women activists see MeToo as a movement that can (and is) much larger than a campaign against sexual harassment, or even rape. It is and can be a campaign for the right of women to speak up about many ways in which men use their power to abuse women.

How about making this kind of connection:

"Many women are speaking up to say "Me Too," and those words, unspoken for too long, are shaking the foundations of power from Hollywood to Washington.

But what of girls and young women who are being abused by men of power, right now, who are not free to speak those words?........."

The Turpin case can readily be linked to a MeToo argument.....as in, if it's against the law for parents to abuse their power over their children to harm them, how can it possibly be justifiable to ever allow other adults with power over children to harm them, for young girls to be subjected to abusive, degrading, & soul destroying "discipline" by men whose power goes unchallenged?"....

Last. One obvious possible very sympathetic media source came to mind for you (or someone else) to approach: The Intercept. This is their kind of story.

As I started reading this thread, this is what came to my mind also. Many people in power (no matter their political leanings) are nervous and will not want to be seen as complicit in any way.

It is indeed a sad world, when the right to religious freedom holds greater weight than the right of children (and all people) to be free from abuse, neglect and exploitation. I just don't understand that thinking in any way.

I am about to go to work, but wonder if organisations at a local, state, federal and international level whose purpose is around the protection of kids and/or the protection of human rights would help - e.g. humanium, amnesty international - if they are not able to help, they may be able to give information on how to progress this. I am not in the US so do not know what organisations that may be able to help.
 
Hugs to you and prayers to all those going through this now. Breakers my heart, my 13 year old is such a confident sassy little thing can't imagine these children being broken this way. There's a special place for all involved whom have harmed children and continue to harm children. :(

I agree 100% I was dropping our 14 year old off to hang out with her friends and whatever I said she responded to with “I am a strong, independent woman!!” Which I thought was both awesome and hilarious. I feel bad saying no to the 5 year old when she asks for ice cream and I don’t have any. Even a “strong, independent” 14 year old is still full of wonder with the world and completely dependent on us, how can people hurt kids like this and no one have the power to stop it?!


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We need to examine the veneer of "religion". It's a convenient cloak for too many control freaks.
 
We need to examine the veneer of "religion". It's a convenient cloak for too many control freaks.
My family history and upbringing can attest to that, unfortunately. This Hephzibah House thread has made me reflect a lot on how religion was used in my household as a tool of control and an excuse for abuse when I was growing up. I feel sick knowing that there are girls suffering at the hands of these supposedly devout monsters.

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Hi everyone,

Disgruntled is now verified in this case.

As always, please continue to treat disgruntled with respect.

Remember disgruntled does not need to provide links to her posts and it's up to you whether to believe what she posts or not.

Thank you disgruntled for sharing your riveting account of what happened at Hephzibah House with Websleuths.
 
Hi everyone,

Disgruntled is now verified in this case.

As always, please continue to treat disgruntled with respect.

Remember disgruntled does not need to provide links to her posts and it's up to you whether to believe what she posts or not.

Thank you disgruntled for sharing your riveting account of what happened at Hephzibah House with Websleuths.
Thank you, Coldpizza!

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Hi everyone,

Disgruntled is now verified in this case.

As always, please continue to treat disgruntled with respect.

Remember disgruntled does not need to provide links to her posts and it's up to you whether to believe what she posts or not.

Thank you disgruntled for sharing your riveting account of what happened at Hephzibah House with Websleuths.

Thank you for doing this so quickly!
 
Thanks for the link. I recall reading this story back then, when there was more of an effort to regulate and stop the horrific torture in these "schools". Somehow, the issue is off the public radar now.

JMO, raising awareness on social media, Reddit, etc. may bring a new generation of supporters to the cause. It's a shame the Times Up and other movements aren't talking about this. Modern feminism needs to refocus their priorities just a little.

First they need to know.
 
We need to examine the veneer of "religion". It's a convenient cloak for too many control freaks.

Exactly. Freedom to worship is important. Using that to claim additional rights (secrecy, freedom from accountability) is the work of snake oil salesmen.
 
Disgruntled,

I’m so sorry for what you have endured and admire your willingness to relentlessly continue the fight for others in the same situation.

If I understand correctly, the statute of limitations has expired so it is not possible to bring criminal charges or file a civil suit?

Compounding the issue is that there is no way to help determine the identity of current victims or recent survivors who may still be within the statute of limitations?
 
Disgruntled,

I’m so sorry for what you have endured and admire your willingness to relentlessly continue the fight for others in the same situation.

If I understand correctly, the statute of limitations has expired so it is not possible to bring criminal charges or file a civil suit?

Compounding the issue is that there is no way to help determine the identity of current victims or recent survivors who may still be within the statute of limitations?
Jumping off your post...

Question: what is the statue of limitations on this type of abuse?
From what I've seen, most of the survivors that have come forward were there many years ago. How can we get more recent survivors to come forward and tell there story? Has anyone started a FB page for discussion? Taken to twitter to get people talking?
 
Disgruntled-

I'd be willing to research and compile a list with contact info of individual activists, relevant orgs, and media (outside Indiana) that might be receptive to hearing your story.

Would doing this be helpful to you and welcomed by you?
 

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