Saturday, August 27, 2011

The Day I Met Bishop Luke Edwards

About 2 days after I had arrived at REACH Inc. I had heard so much about The Bishop. I had sat down with so many of the other members and listened to their stories on how they became members and how long they had been there and how it was such a blessing for me to be there.What REACH Inc. meant to them, and of course what it should mean to me. It was clear that after listening to all these people that I could only see that there was definitly no mistake that I had come to this place. Everyone testified that it was God and to him only should the glory be given.
I felt lost and in a place in my life where I felt I had no one to turn to and I was a teenager pregnant with a child I knew I wanted to keep, I just wanted to do the right thing, make the right decisions and be a better parent to my son than my mother had been to me.
One of the sisters that worked in the office came over to the church to get me so that I could have a private meeting with The Bishop. I was eager to meet him and a little nervous too. Nevertheless, I walked over and into his private office and sat down in a chair across from his desk.
Bishop had a very bright and welcoming smile, and as we talked about how I had arrived,  he told me about Gods sheep that are scattered in the field (meaning the world). He went on quoting scriptures from the book of Ezekiel,  he said that as God has said "“I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries and bring them to their own land; and I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the streams, and in all the inhabited places of the land. This was the land that God was speaking of  (The Holyland) according to him and I had been brought there by non other than God. There were many other scriptures that were quoted to me on that day, to explain to me the plan and  vision that God had given him for his people.
Mark 10:28 - 30  "Then Peter began to say unto him, Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee.And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel's,But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life." and then there was 2nd Corinthians 6:17 "Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you". This is where the separation of family and friends came in. I was not to contact anyone outside Reach Inc. or The Holyland Compound. The were all the enemies of God.
All this talk with scriptures to back it up really gave to me what I thought was valid and made sense so much that by the time our meeting was over I had made a decision to stay and to never look back.
Our meeting was over and I felt my life for the first time was on track.
I would come to understand later in my life that alot of my so-called brothers and sisters were being and  engaging in so much evil that somewhere along the line they had overlooked the scripture Jeremiah 23:1 Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith the LORD. Its clear that after the rapes and wrong doings and suffering from the people of God that though they  were to  rule and guide, protect and defend, the people of God.but, instead of that, they were such that destroyed and scattered the sheep  God.s pasture, saith the Lord God; Instead they set themselves as bad examples, led others into idolatry and other sins, which became or will become the cause of their ruin, and of their being carried captive, and scattered in other countries; and their sin was the more aggravated, inasmuch as the people that were the Lord's pastured sheep, whom he had an interest in, and a regard unto were harmed, and The Bishop  had committed certain followers to the care and charge of these the people of God to be particularly taken care of. The Bishop allowed alot to happen when I feel he was suppose to protect and care for those that God put in his care. You may be asking yourself what am I talking about.......I will tell you...To Be Continued.......

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

I Made It

 I made it, meaning the one day bus trip had come to an end. I was glad, and anxious because this was a new place but most of all I was confused. I had just left all that I knew, I was a teenager and 3 months pregnant. My babys father was going through his own legal problems. He was in jail for murder and I felt so all alone. I did know that I wanted my baby and I wanted him to have a better life than the one I had. And at the time I was hoping that being pregnant and making this big decision, that I had made was the right one.
I arrived at the bus station and pulled out my piece of paper and found a payphone  to call the number so that I could be picked up. I remember calling and asking for Denise and I was told that she was still working and couldnt come to get me but that they were expecting me to call and nicely I must say, that I was told a ride would be there to pick me up.
I was a bit confused as to why Denise would tell me to call her once I arrived and then she not be able to come and get me. After all, she would be the only person I knew. I didnt understand at the time but I would before long find out the answers to my whys and whats of being at REACH Inc.
So I sat down and waited. Not scared or anythiing just still in a state of confusion but everyone had been so nice to me I really had no reason to fear anything.
I was greeted by a lady who had a big beautiful spirit as well as her smile. It was like meeting someone sent from heaven. Her name was Sis Davis. I can honestly say that she was always the same, out of all the evil people I got to know there she was never considered one of them.
She gave me a hug and we got into the car and drove not far from the bus station to a church. I didnt understand why we were going to a church but I remained quiet.
Once we parked, she told me to get out and we went inside the church from the back, since it was so late she kindly told me to help myself to something in the kitchen to eat, and then she would show me to my room. And my room did not mean my room. The room I went to was the room I had to share with Denise. This was a bit weird at first, surely not something I was used to or expected because I thought the whole time that I was going to Denise' house to live with her, the set up at first was weird but I went along with it.
Well, that was my first night I cleaned up for bed in the church bathroom upstairs and went to sleep. I only wanted to see Denise..........

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

The Greyhound Trail

Well, the time had come for me to get on the bus. I did everything I was instructed to do the previous day. Don't Tell ANYONE that your leaving....check....Dont pack ANY of your clothes, we have what you need to wear...check... Dont forget to PRAY because this is the will of God...and check.
Sis Ola came to pick me up and took me to the greyhound bus station which was located in Ypsilanti, Michigan September 9th 1984. We talked a little while we waited for my bus to come and when it did she bid me well and said that she would see me once she returned home.
Home for Sis Ola was in Meridian, Mississippi where she lived in a room  in the basement of the Church. I found out later that she was very fond of her little whatnots, and if you wanted to get her anything, a whatnot was quite enough.

So, I boarded the bus and headed to Meridian, Mississippi. The trip from Michgan to Mississippi  was  a 1 day trip and I was instructed to call the REACH Inc. office once I arrived so that I could be pick up. I didnt know what the REACH Inc. office was all about but soon I would find out....

Monday, August 15, 2011

In The Beginning....

It was not my plan to go to the Holyland, I didnt even know this place existed. My mother had a friend named Denise Chapman and she was who I looked at a God Mother when I was a young girl. Denise had joined a church that had connections to the Holyland and had left the city of Ypsilanti years before I actually had contact with her again. It had to have been about 4 to 5 years that had passed and in between that time my mother had gone to prison, my grandmother had a stroke and I was left out on the streets to fend for myself. I had stayed with some of my mothers so called friends but I didnt know any family members that she may have had besides my Uncle Ted  (my mothers brother) who was financially in a position to take care of me and my two brothers but he had told my mother that he would only take me and not my two brothers and my mother told him that if he was'nt going to take all of us then she would just have us put into foster care.
I ended up living with a lady name Elaine Taylor who took me in as her daughter. She did have children of her own and at first they weren't too fond of her taking on another mouth to feed  but eventually learned to accept me. And believe me that road to acceptance was not at all an easy one to travel.
Years went by and at 16 and going into the 11rh grade I became pregnant. I had just ran away from my last foster care home to live with my mother. If anyone wants to know if abuse happens in foster care? The answer is yes, more than you could even imagine.  The social worker in charge of my case was looking for me, I didnt want to go back because I was tired of being moved from home to home while being asked to keep quiet about what went on  in the previous home by the very ones who were suppose to be helping me The State of Michigan (at this time I was legally a ward of the State of Michigan). So, I continued to move from home to home in an effort to make sure that I was not located. .
I found myself pregnant, with no food, no money and no one to turn to. Eventually I asked a friend of mine to let me live with her and she agreed. was hungry on day and headed to the Farmer Jack grocery store after I had gone to Kmart Department Store and helped my self to some necessities. There was a lady sitting outside the Farmer Jack grocery store selling peanuts and peanut brittle who began talking to me about the Lord and as we talked the name Denise Chapman came up and before I knew it I was on the phone with her and felt I had been reunited with My God Mother. We had a long conversation which led to me preparing to leave all and everyone that I knew the next day. I was told not to say anything to anyone just to be prepared to meet a lady by the name Ola Hinton who would take me to the Greyhound Bus Station and put me on a bus headed south and there I would be welcomed with open arms to a new family. I followed all instructions and I can remember thinking as I road on the bus ....is that I hoped I was making the right decision in leaving........and heading to a place that I was told was prepared and waiting for me by the people of  God.........

Thursday, August 11, 2011

I've Decided...

So, it took me a few hours but now Ive made a decision as to where I"ll begin my journey blogging. I'm going to start at the point where I was first approached about going to the Holyland. At the time it sounded like a Good Idea and so at the age of 16 and pregnant I decided that this was the best thing for me to do. I made the call and then I followed instructions as to meet at the bus station and then I found myself on the greyhound bus station September 9th, in 1983 headed to Meridian, Mississippi. Check on the story on my next post, to hear how going to the Farmer Jack grocery store changed my life forever........

Where Do I Start ?

Just sitting here wondering where do I start. Do I start before or after I went to to the Holyland. Give me a few hours and Ill get started. Its all interesting, just trying to figure out where to start. Comments and Suggestions are welcomed.

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Before Becoming A Cult Member

Many people dont know about the commune located in Emelle, Alabama called " The Holyland". I lived there for 13 years and I've decided with much reluctancy to tell my story of the life I once lived as a cult member. I must mention that because of the life I lived as child in an emotional, mental, physical and sexually abusive household, which I feel ultimately led me to the arms and heart of a trusting Bishop Luke Edwards who controlled my life in the name of the Lord, where I also experienced much of the same abuses. As interesting as my blog will be in allowing me to be more personal as the book Ive written will only touch the surface. Im excited to finally be able to freely relieve my mind of the secrets that lie behind all the closed doors of my past, along with letting the truths of many ghostly deaths free in my mind. The twist is that had I not been a part of this disfunctional christian family I would not be the person I am today. Does that mean this was a good place for me to have been? I don't know. And that may be why I escaped. Subscibe and share your thoughts and questions, as I take a journey into my past bloggerstyle