Three Women Waiting to Escape With Children
Polygamy Culture
Three Women Waiting to Escape With Children
There are at least a dozen different polygamist groups here in Utah in addition to an unknown number of independents. Those who have been working more closely with these groups would say the number of people involved in the polygamist culture could be as high as 60,000 – 120,000. We knew we would have a ministry out here with the polygamy culture but we never anticipated the full realm of needs. Just this week we found out there are 3 women right here in our county seeking to leave their polygamist community. Those who flee usually do so secretly out of fear. Most leave with few belongings, no job and little education. These ladies need lodging, funds and transportation before they can leave.
Children’s Home
Over the past year and a half, we have had the privilege of meeting numerous people who have either been kicked out or have fled from several different polygamist cult communities. We’ve discovered that there are many more who would leave instantly to seek safety and a freedom if they knew there was a safe place to go. Because of the sheer number of people being kicked out, fleeing or desiring to flee, the need for safe housing and rehabilitation is far greater than what our home and others are able to provide.
Chandra and I are compelled and praying about the possibility of opening up a group home for polygamist children along with transitional housing for mothers with children in addition to what we already provide through our home. Please pray for God to provide a location, resources and qualified staff to make this a reality. The need is far greater than you can imagine.
Utah Valley Church Update
Our church gatherings have been a lot of fun lately. We’ve had first time visitors the past couple weeks! We even had a young Mormon couple, who are students at BYU, attend last week. They seemed to really enjoy their visit and stayed till almost 9:30PM. This week we had another young couple with a baby girl visit. They were a lot of fun and we look forward to seeing more of them.
Even though the church gathering gets much of the spotlight, it’s really the one on one discipleship that makes lasting ministry impact. This is where we spend the majority of time and energy. We have a lot of LDS neighbors who are now our friends and God is creating ample opportunities to invest in their lives! I’ve been spending time with one man who recently rejected the claims of Mormonism and has embraced the Jesus of the Bible and biblical Christianity. We’re now having conversations about Christian baptism! Please pray for this man and others like him because they lose so much when they step away from the cultural religion to follow the real Jesus.
Plant Utah Stuff
We recently hosted a man from Simi Valley, CA who is interested in becoming a missionary/church-planter in Utah. We will connect with him again in early December. We also have a meeting in late December with a couple from Cheyenne, WY who are being led to pant in Utah as well! We are praying about the possibility of strategic partnerships with both of these potential missionaries/planters. As we continue to pray for God to send workers into this harvest please pray with us.
Family Update
Our Soldier
Our family seems to be changing faster than the seasons. Less than a month ago, we sent our oldest boy (a young man sent away from his polygamist community) to Ft. Benning, Georgia to begin his journey to becoming a Special Forces soldier in the Army. We were able to talk to him twice this week and he’s planning on coming home for Christmas!
Our Newest Addition
Just a few hours after sending our soldier to Georgia, we received a call and were asked to take in a fourteen year old boy who had just escaped the FLDS community. We prayed about it and decided to add this boy to our family. We are currently in the process of obtaining his legal guardianship. He has been with us now for more than two weeks, but for the time being his name is kept anonymous for safety reasons. He has been forced to work for much of his childhood and has not received any education for more than a year. He has begun classes in school and we’re working to get him caught up to his age/grade level. He’s a bright young man and we’re very blessed to have him in our family. He has a birthday later this month and it will be the first time in his life to have a party or receive gifts. Please pray for him as he makes adjustments to our family and life outside “The Crick” (Colorado City, AZ/ Hidale, Ut). Pray for us to have wisdom and grace as we include him into our family.
Noah
Noah is thirteen now and getting tall! He’s very active in the Boy Scouts and is doing well in school. He’s growing in his faith and learning to discern the culture. We’re really proud of him.
Isaiah
IzzyBob is eleven and becoming quite athletic. He recently joined a tumbling class and even though he had no previous experience was immediately recognized by his teacher as the most advanced student. He’s making lots of friends and really maturing into a great young man.
Nehemiah
Neo is six and losing teeth right and left. He’s becoming an accomplished wrestler and will have his first match of the year this Wednesday. He’s literally blazing through first grade and is on target to begin second grade well before the end of this school year. He is really liked by all the neighborhood kids and has friends in and out of our house almost daily. He’s an amazing boy.
Moriah
Moriah, three and a half, is definitely the princess of the house. We thank you for your prayers about her because either she’s become easier to handle or we’ve become more patient and consistent. It’s most likely a combination of both. She loves to dance and sing and can tell stories with the best of them. She’s quite beautiful and very nurturing and thoughtful (at times).
Judah
Judah is cuter than ever and will be two on December 1st! He’s finally starting to talk a little. He’s very intelligent, but just doesn’t like to use words a lot. He sure knows his way around any cell phone or tablet. He’s a sweet kid that actually likes naps and bedtime! It’s been pretty tough keeping him out of the Halloween candy though.
Chandra and Matthew
Well, were just getting older, but we’re okay with that. We get pretty tired from scrambling to make ends meet, trading off between teaching school, working and church planting/missionary ministry, but it’s worth it because we know we’re where God wants us. We feel extremely blessed to be a part of what God is doing here in Utah!
Challenges
Vehicle
Our minivan has become insufficient for our family’s transportation. In addition to become increasingly unreliable, it simply doesn’t have enough seats for our growing family. It is the primary reason why we were not able to visit supporters and family this fall as planned. We’ve been looking at the Nissan 3500 NV because it seems to be the best value in the class of vehicle we need since our household could range from 8 to 12 people. We haven’t yet figured out how to make this a reality, so we appreciate your prayers.
Basement Apartment
We received a material list from Home Depot for the transitional housing unit in our basement. This will be an apartment style living area for women and children escaping from polygamist communities. The total materials cost only be about $8,000.00. We have $150.00 donated toward this project. If you would like to get involved you can click here to donate or contact us to set up a mission trip.
Missionary Support
Our family size has increased, ministry demands have increased, but our missionary support has decreased. We are currently receiving about one third of our financial needs through missionary support. We are looking for at least five more churches to join Plant Utah’s network. We would love to speak at your church about our ministry to the polygamist community and church planting in an unreached peoples group. Contact if you have any interest in learning more ([email protected] or call 314-775-6126). To become an individual supporter visit our support page at https://www.plantutah.com/support/.
For the sake of the Gospel,
