Is YWAM A Cult Podcast

Listen to the first in a series on exposing YWAM as a cult:

Click HERE to listen!

Buttons

When I was about 10, my parents had a birthday party for me. Several children came & brought presents. After the party, I gathered up all the gifts, gave them to my older brother Tom & said, “Here, I don't want this junk! I want a puppy!”. It wasn't long after that that my parents relented & bought our first family dog, Buttons.

Buttons was a friendly dog & would even smile when you would talk to her. We had a postman that would carry his bag of mail with him & give Buttons a ride in his bag around the block. Buttons likes the postman & would smile and sneeze when she would see him coming, happy to see him.

One day, there was a new postman. Buttons smiled as usual, but the new postman took it as a snarl or threat & kicked Buttons. Buttons would never trust a postman again & would bark & get agitated if she saw one, or even a mail truck.

I believe that most of the victims of abuse in YWAM were like Buttons in the beginning of our YWAM experience. We looked upon the leaders as safe & approachable since they were in the “service of the Lord”!

When we were suddenly abused by one or more in leadership, it took away our faith & trust in leaders. For a lot of us, there may always be distrust when is comes to men & women who are in spiritual leadership positions.

Sexual Abuse in YWAM?!!

CLICK LINK BELOW:


https://medium.com/@rebeccalujanloveless/ywamtoo-my-sexual-abuse-story-f891884af23c

Another Good Blog Exposing YWAM Abuse

CLICK ON LINK BELOW:
https://ryanespringer.blogspot.com/2019/11/culty-is-as-culty-does.html

What is Spiritual Abuse?

I have often heard it asked, “What is spiritual abuse?” Here is my answer:


Spiritual abuse can mean many different things to different people. It usually has to do with control and manipulation. It is causing you to doubt yourself when you are aware that something is not right, making YOU the problem rather than an issue you think needs addressing or not treating everyone as equals in a school or base. Control of relationships when people are adults and not in sinful behavior. Speaking for God so you can not question them, for then you are questioning God. Trying to coerce you into what you should do with your life whether you feel you have that calling or not. Telling you that you do not need a university education to do the Lord's work, so you should forgo college & stay in YWAM. There is a LOT to it. It is not a small box that either one fits in or doesn't. Each person who's been spiritually abused might give a different definition as to what it is.

What is a YWAM NIKO Course?

Thinking of doing a Nico camp with YWAM?  Read what the experience is like before you decide:

Autumn

My family and I are Americans living in France.

YWAM NIKO Urban Paris

The TLDR is this, we made our YWAM DTS students homeless on the streets of Paris for 3 days.


In telling you all this I am breaking my "vow" to never share what happens in a NIKO camp. Ridiculous. I say "YWAM" but technically this is facilitated through "Kings Kids," a sister organization to YWAM. Whatever the case this was standard for all of our DTSes, including a Crossroads DTS that had elderly students.


I participated 2x as staff and it's one of my biggest regrets, that I was so brainwashed I not only felt this was acceptable but actually beneficial for my students. We begin by telling them to only bring their Bible, good shoes, and warm clothes. The whole thing is shrouded in secrecy.


We show up to a basement, cave, in Paris and have prayer and worship. They are given the "choice" to participate. A line is drawn and they are asked to cross it if they are to continue. This is hideous because absolutely NO ONE knows what it is they are agreeing to. They are given plastic shopping bags from a very low priced french grocery store and told to put everything they will "need" into the bags. Many regret putting anything in the bags at all. Then we take them into a park as it gets late in a very bad neighborhood of Paris, and play team building games while drunks and drug dealers cheer us on. Then they are told to get everything they will need to sleep. With no further explanation. People scatter into the streets gathering cardboard, trash, once they even found an abandoned mattress. After this we take them to an abandoned railroad track near a bridge where they all sleep for the night. After some time we give them army issue sleeping bags. "See guys we will take care of you, trust us." No one believes this is really happening. Anger and tears all around as we go off for a staff meeting. It's fall so its rainy and around 36-40 degrees.


The next day they are marched through the city with various spurts of running and the Paris monuments are pointed out. Again no explanation is given as to what or why this is happening. The staff call it the death march. It's 26 miles (42km), the length of a marathon. It takes all day even up until midnight. Those grocery bags with their belongings are like torture devices at this point and gradually begin to tear a part and items are discarded. The students suffer because they aren't prepared whereas the staff have been working out for months to get ready for this one day. Many former students still suffer from this. One girl lost her toenails, they never grew back right. Another now has arthritis in her knees, she's in her 20s. They failed to obey the "bring good shoes" rule. So it's "their fault." That night to everyone's delight they sleep in the cave. Paris caves are little better than the outside. But at least everyone feels safer.


The next day we have a rigged lottery where staff draws "Bs" and students draw "As" out of a hat. The Bs get a lavish french breakfast and the As eat stale baguette (rock hard) out of a trash bag with water. This is to illustrate unfair privilege. Later that day we take them to a notorious train station to "talk" to people. Homeless people and drug dealers. Extremely dangerous. For lunch they have to panhandle in an outdoor market and aren't allowed to tell the people why or what they are doing. Just that they need food for lunch and have no money. Sometimes they're given discarded food, sometimes money. Often they are berated by angry tourists for being penniless Americans in Paris. Because they can't speak French they have to beg in pantomime or ask tourists.


That night we feed them spaghetti. The next morning it's stale baguette again and they are taken into an abandoned railway tunnel where you can not see anything and asked to run through it on "faith." Many fall and get injured. Then they have to scale a 20 foot fence. Or go back through the tunnel. Of course many fail and have to go back through the mile long pitch black tunnel. Then we debrief. Any complaints are met with stern beratement from the staff about them not appreciating this valuable lesson. Of course those who think it was all wonderful are highly praised.


We take them for showers. Everyone is SO EXCITED until they realize they are showering in a homeless shelter with other homeless men and women. Again lots of confusion as to why 18-22 year old Americans are showering with French homeless people. It's done and everyone is taken to Chinese food for "graduation." They are given diplomas and attaboys. Told they are to swear an oath to never tell anyone about NIKO, even their families. Then we take them back to the base.

Spies in the Camp

It has been brought to my attention, once again that there are SPIES in the Spiritual Abuse in YWAM group reporting to YWAM leaders what is being discussed in confidence. That should not scare any of the members as maybe it is the only way they will find out that they are being exposed and the damage they have done!

Having spies in this private, confidential group shows me what cowards they are. Of course I do not know who they are or I would ban them.

For me, I decided long ago that I do not care if what I say in here gets back to YWAM leaders. I know that may not be the same with others, but there is nothing to be afraid or feel ashamed of in exposing abuse & the abusers. We are bringing what was done in darkness into the light! Each time I do it, I feel more empowered.

We all heal at a different pace & it often takes YEARS. I know it has for me! When I confronted the former Honolulu base leader the other day at Safeway about abuse in YWAM it was something I would have NEVER done a few years ago out of fear. Fear of what? Fear that he could still somehow control & abuse me? I am no longer in YWAM. He can not do anything to me! He may not agree with what I shared, but I planted seeds that may one day bear fruit.

He is a weak, flawed human being just like all of us. Some people do not respect boundaries so come in & try and bully us, especially if we are meek & non-confrontational. I choose to take the power back & not allow the bullies to “put me in my place” out of fear.

We will go forward & tell our stories & share where the toxic bases are. The group will continue to grow and the news that YWAM is a controlling, abusive cult will continue to spread.