I was 13 when my parents chose to send my brother to Life Focus. Josh was the first in our family—at age 16—to experience an apprenticeship program, and the whole family was both excited and apprehensive. What would the Indianapolis Training Center (ITC) be like? (My parents attended a short admissions seminar there several years earlier, but they assumed a student’s perspective would be different.) Would my brother come home the same, or would he be completely changed? Would we be able to endure seven weeks without him? Would he be able to manage seven weeks without us?
My parents viewed Life Focus as an opportunity for Josh to meet other young men and be discipled in his faith. They weren’t trying to “fix” a problem child. He was a good kid, not a rebel or juvenile delinquent. They believed that Life Focus would, as the description promised, help Josh bring his life into focus and gain a vision for the future.
Little did we know what he would actually experience.
The preparation for Life Focus began at home, several weeks before the program officially started in Indianapolis. I remember the first day my dad started the preparation materials. He asked Josh, “Okay, what time were you up, done with devotions, bed made, ready for the day?” My brother—as usual—had been up since 6:00 AM. Since he shared a room with our much younger brother, he got up, gathered his belongings, and left quietly so that he wouldn’t disturb anyone. He returned later to make his bed. To Josh’s frustration, my dad insisted on recording that he was ready for the day at 10:00 AM, when he had completed the checklist required on the questionnaire. Josh was concerned that he was already off to a bad start. Would the leadership view him as lazy? The question didn’t accurately portray what really happened, but there was no room to explain—just a box to mark off.
For several weeks, Josh wrote short essays, met with my dad to clear his conscience, studied the provided materials, and prepared for seven weeks away from home. He had a packing list of things to bring (phone card, money, slacks, polo shirts) and a list of things to leave home (jeans, music, electronics). The day finally arrived for him to leave. It was an emotional time, but we knew it would be worth it for everything he would gain from the program.
When Josh arrived at the ITC, he called to let us know that he had made it in safely. He also relayed the first of many surprises: the phone card we bought him would be next to useless. Over the course of seven weeks, he would be able to use just over an hour, since the students were allowed only one phone call home per week, on Sundays, for ten minutes. The reason given was that they would be too busy to call any other time, and there were only four phones available during the limited free time each week, so they had to keep calls short out of necessity. Josh promised to write weekly letters as he was able.
On the 4th of July, about a week into the program, Josh called with an extra phone call for the holiday. I picked up the phone and heard, “Hey, guess what? I’m not in Indianapolis anymore!” Two days earlier, the Life Focus leadership had awakened the guys, given them a list of things to gather, loaded them into vans, and left the ITC. After many hours of driving, they ended up at the Northwoods Conference Center in Michigan. Parents were not previously informed. In fact, my parents expressed both shock and betrayal, since they had pictured their son happily working and learning in the ITC, which they had visited several years earlier. At first, they were upset that dozens of young men ages 14-16 had been taken across state lines without even checking with parents, but they decided that the leadership must know what they were doing and accepted it as part of the training.
The first four weeks of Life Focus were a different kind of training. Josh ended up working at the ITC, Northwoods, Flint, South Campus, and back to the ITC. Each move was a surprise both to him and to our family. His weekly phone calls and letters revealed that the students were serving in the kitchens, manning construction crews, tearing down outbuildings, installing sheet rock, painting, cleaning bathrooms, and performing general maintenance and upkeep around various IBLP (Institute in Basic Life Principles) properties. The “spiritual instruction” given during this time involved daily Bible time, both personal and in small teams, brief meetings with speakers, and occasional sessions. The main focus for the first half of the program was physical labor.
Why did Josh pay for the privilege of working for IBLP? He was told simply that it was a time of preparation. Just as Jesus worked for his father for many years before beginning his ministry, so the students must work in preparation for training. During the preparation, the teens were kept very short on sleep, worked long hours, and experienced significant pressure to conform. Any outbursts of frustration, discouragement, homesickness, anger, etc., were responded to with, “The more you are stretched, the more your true character comes out, so you can see what you need to work on.”
Another aspect of Life Focus was physical fitness training. The teens spent hours at a time doing calisthenics, including pushups, crunches, butterfly kicks, and sit-ups. Leaders also included such activities as requiring the students to hold their arms out at their sides for extended periods of time without lowering them. If one of the guys couldn’t keep his arms up, he was assigned additional pushups to perform. Many of these calisthenics sessions took place in the middle of the night, when leaders woke up the teams at 2:00 AM for two hours of exercise. Since students were not informed ahead of time that this would be included in Life Focus, many of the teens were completely unprepared for this level of physical challenge.
During the seven-week program, the teens memorized the book of James. Each week, they were required to pass a written test covering 16-20 verses. The tests were graded for accuracy in spelling, punctuation, and wording. Any more than three errors earned a failing grade.
Unfortunately, the consequences for failing the verse test were quite severe. As mentioned in other Recovering Grace articles, the training centers did not serve breakfast or lunch on Sundays, since staff and students were required to fast that day. If a Life Focus student did not pass his verse test, he also missed dinner on Sunday. He continued to either miss meals or eat a very limited portion at subsequent meals until he passed the test. Each team leader was extremely motivated to have his team members pass, since he also missed Sunday dinner if a student did not pass.
To further complicate the verse test, Life Focus leadership on several occasions chose to administer the test immediately after a 2:00 AM calisthenics session. As a result, the teens never knew when or where they would be handed a sheet of paper and told to write their memory passage. It might be mid-afternoon, first thing in the morning, or at 3:30 AM after spending over an hour doing physical fitness training. Many of the students struggled to pass their tests and spent multiple meals on limited rations. I’m thankful to say that Josh always managed to pass the verse test by taking laminated cards with him everywhere and studying every extra moment he found.
During the first half of the program, Josh and the other students were kept completely in the dark about what each day would hold. He learned to hate the phrases, “You’ll find out,” “We’ll see,” “Maybe,” and “Wait.” When they finally reached the second part of Life Focus, the leaders began sharing more information. The contrast was so drastic that Josh told us, “It’s like when Jesus told the disciples that they were no longer servants but friends because he told them what he was doing” (John 15:15, paraphrase).
Approximately halfway through the program, the Life Focus students received white polo shirts indicating that they were progressing well. Once the leaders distributed shirts, they required students to wear them for various activities. One served as a work shirt, while the second was saved for nicer events. The shirts, probably intended as a reward, became a status symbol, because students who were not progressing did not receive the shirt. They immediately stood out in the crowd of white, bringing additional shame at group activities.
At the end of Life Focus, my dad flew out to participate in the last few days and attend graduation. Josh met him with a hug and tears. Tears? Since when did my 16-year-old brother cry?
Josh came home changed. He knew better than to complain about work. He was almost too grateful for being allowed to have a say in plans for the day, or for being informed of upcoming activities. He quit wearing jeans for several months, since he’d grown so accustomed to living and working in khakis and polo shirts. He religiously continued to memorize Scripture, skip meals on Sundays, and take copious notes during seminars and church services. He told stories of sleep deprivation that left students standing in the back of the room during training sessions in vain attempts to stay awake, and of team leaders popping caffeine pills so they could set a good example for the students. He told about brief periods of voice lock-down, during which the guys could not speak at all until the leaders granted permission.
As Josh gradually readjusted to family life, I found myself confused. Why did my parents send him to Life Focus? Why did it not bother them when he was transported across state lines without their prior knowledge or permission? Why did they simply accept that a ten-minute weekly phone call was sufficient contact? Why did his stories of sleep deprivation, food deprivation, and hard labor not disturb them? Why did they implicitly trust Training Center leadership, many of whom were only in their twenties?
I still don’t know.
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Carolynn's family joined ATI in 1997. She attended a significant number of seminars and apprenticeship opportunities before starting college, where she began to carefully examine the teachings of the IBLP organization. Carolynn is currently learning what it means to be free in Christ.
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Life Focus is still in operation at the Gothard kingdom.
here are some excerpts from the website that may explain why it is more like a military boot camp.
"During the teen years it is crucial that young men are trained and tested before they are placed on the front lines of spiritual warfare."
"Basic Program Outline
1.Humility and a Servant’s Spirit ◦Menial and difficult work projects
◦Teamwork
◦Following instruction
2.Personal Relationship With God"
note the order of the program, work first, God second. And how they stress physical labor, which I am not against hard work, many kids do not get that today with all the electronic devices, but if you are raised in a BG home, then chores should be part of the norm.
Again the explain why about the chores, calling it what it is...intense physical labor. Guess they do not want any lawsuits.
"Menial and Difficult Work Projects
Life Focus students participate in intense physical labor, both indoors and outdoors. The goal is to help meet the needs of others in any way they can. Mowing, weeding, sweeping, painting, landscaping, laying carpet, drywall, construction, demolition, kitchen cleanup, mopping, vacuuming, cleaning bathrooms, and picking up trash are typical activities that Life Focus students may be involved in."
there is lots more outlined on the site. I just picked a few of the most interesting.
I think it's more like a watered down concentration camp myself. Food and sleep deprivation under the conditions described are physical and psychological torture, particularly for young growing men. There's a reason the military doesn't take 14 year old boys and do this to them..
Where are you getting your information? Life Focus ended years ago. The leadership has long dispersed and the building used (ITC) has been sold.
I found it on the gothard website
it is probably called something different now
but cannot remember but the rules are there on the site. I cut and pasted them here.
ITC was sold a couple of years ago and I helped clean it out so I feel like the link that is showing that it is still going is not accurate.
But I could be wrong...
I forgot about missing meals for not passing the verse texts...but that did happen all the time. Our LF carpeted South Campus and Flint Michigan...hard work and I remember crying when I saw my dad as well.
I was on voice lockdown for weeks and was the last kid to get the shirt...one the worst experiences of my life with ATI...
I am so sorry about your experience out there. My boys were sent out there by their dad. I never wanted them there. Once again, the chain of command.What the wife thought didn't matter.. wives and children suffered.
Even as I started to read this article I thought to my self, "Do you really want to do this?" My stomach had tightened in knots the first few words.
You see, we sent our precious oldest son to the ALERT Academy. I once said those words with pride - the thought of that sickens me. I now say them with a sadness and regret I cannot put into words. Oh to do it over again... Our lives have been forever changed. Recovering Grace has named it's site well.
In the midst of recovering grace, A Mom
Julia, I am a Mom and just like you I have had many regrets and find reading many of these stories gut-wrenching. While our stories are different, we share some things in common. Praying for you today. May God bring healing to you and your family and restore your joy.
Carolynn, Thank you for sharing your brother's story. I am so sorry this happened to him. How traumatic for all. I cannot explain why so many of us parents were so gullible and so trusting. I know I only wanted good and better things for my children than what I had. Many of us wish we had do-overs and have been broken by our mistakes. It's also heart-breaking to realize there are still many parents that are blinded and who remain in bondage to Gothard's teachings.
May God use your brother's story to reach and bring healing to someone else who has gone through something similar.
I understand Julia. My life has forever changed and not for the good. I am so glad I found this site.And I am glad Bill has been found out. Hopefully correct action will prevail.
Being woken up at 2am for exercises? How do they explain that away; this is preparation for being parents of full quivers?
Thanks for sharing this story. I imagine your brother may see it the same way I saw certain temporary jobs I had; I'm grateful for the experience but would NEVER want to do it again.
Life Focus sounds pretty much like ALERT basic without the skills training, military-esque pride in professionalism, or specificity of purpose.
The difference between this and ALERT though is that with ALERT all this is spelled out. You know ahead of time that you will be woken up in the middle of the night randomly. You know you will be doing lots of physical training. You know that you will be memorizing scripture. You know that you only get to talk on the phone twice for 10 minutes for the duration of the 9 weeks. The purpose of ALERT's training is spelled out. The difficulties are meant to build character. The physical training is meant to prepare men to serve others in a variety of different ways, many involving manual labor. The stringent schedule is meant to help instill discipline. The lack of information as to what is coming is to develop flexibility. You are warned that the training incorporates military-type training and should not be confused with a summer camp. What this article is referring to involves a misrepresentation of the type of training and activities involved. It is marketing a specific focus (pun intended) but in reality the end result is much different. It's another half-truth.
These type of stories disturb me and baffle me. Why, as part of an organization that promotes family unity and patriarchal leadership in all sense of the adherence, do parents see fit to send their kids off for training that, by virtue of this organization's own promotion, should be taken care of at home by dad daily? And pay for it? Furthermore, this from an organization that stresses protection, protection, protection - I have never been able to figure this mystery out.
I think it's hard from the outside to believe that things in a trusted organization could go so sour.
A question, though: where does ATI/IBLP stress "protection, protection, protection"? Honest question, I'm truly curious to know where you have seen that.
I would say they stress authority and submission. That's part of why this talk http://www.ted.com/talks/philip_zimbardo_on_the_psychology_of_evil.html resonates with me so much. I have seen how a bad barrel can be created. When one person has unchecked authority and is given a mission to break others down, it is destined to run amok.
protection meaning adhering to a lifestyle that is punctuated by borderline paranoia about virtually everything.
gotcha. On one hand, young people, especially females, are supposed to stay inside the protection of the home (and there is that "protection" idea). They are discouraged from getting jobs, not allowed to go to college, not allowed to socialize. And yet, there was a constant supply young folks who were outside of the home, a number of them just 14 or 15 years old, living and working at Headquarters and other Institute facilities apart from their families.
Wow!! Just terrible!
This is so disturbing! I'm so sorry Josh went through all of that. The level of abuse that ATI felt safe dishing out to their students is sickening.
I am sorry, but this just sounds like another case of helicopter parenting or sistering to me. Maybe these parents (or sister) didn't have a good picture of what they were signing the 16-year-old up for, but seriously.... It was SEVEN weeks.
When I was 16, I went all the way to RUSSIA, not merely a gorgeous part of Michigan. I stood on my own two feet and was responsible for my own self. I had one phone call to my parents in 10 weeks. I was stretched a lot. I encountered drunks and other new-to-me dangers. It was Russia... I had to be alert and tend to my own needs or speak up if I needed something. I washed my laundry in my sink at 2 am most of the time. Sleep was not the main focus, and there wasn't a lot of it. I gave everything I had and then some in that ministry effort. Left it all on the field. I came home a different person than I had gone, too. Isn't that the point????
My parents sent me to Russia when I was 16, not because they trusted IBLP, but because they trusted God. He didn't fail us, even though there are plenty of things I could point to that were not the most comfortable or expected.
I cried when I saw my parents, too. Since when is being stretched and challenged and even experiencing a bit of homesickenss to help appreciate your normal, "boring" life a bad thing? Why is it a bad thing that a 16 year old not complain about work and be grateful for the opportunity to give input in family plans? I don't get it...
This sounds like another example of how American parents are doing it all wrong. Not allowing their children to grow up taking some risks, trying and failing at some things, making independent decisions, and learning to handle themselves without their parents. It also sounds like Carolynn is making her brother sound like a victim of PTSD because he had to rise to some challenges that he wasn't accustomed to and missed his mommy. I'm sorry, but my smallest violin can't even play a sad tune for this story....
What is wrong with people these days?!?!?!?!
Thanks for dropping by, Mary Kay. It would be nice if you could work on stating your own opinion without putting others down. Your "smallest violin" statement is not very charitable, for example.
For what it's worth, I was also in Moscow (winter 1992). While I saw some things that troubled me, overall it was one of the best times of my life. I had a great time and I will always be thankful for it. I know some others who had a very difficult time, quite unlike my experience. Here is one way to look at that. The storm that blew through the Midwest yesterday destroyed this house: https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc1/1421170_10151767138271430_1353711128_o.jpg that is just over an hour away from where I live. My house had no damage done to it at all. I could sit in my undamaged house and proclaim that the storm did no damage, and that anyone who says otherwise is wrongly playing the victim. After all, MY house is just fine, thank you very much. But that's not fair. If someone else's house was damaged or destroyed, then their experience of that storm was much worse than my experience. Neither one of our stories would invalidate the other - both stories happened as they happened, giving different people a different experience. Do you catch my meaning? You and I had good experiences. That's great! But the leap in logic to declare that therefore everyone who does not claim a good experience is being a wimp or playing the victim is a leap too far. Better that we tell our own stories and that we listen with open hearts as others tell theirs.
Hi Mary, if I may point out, you are a woman, and it is very likely that the women did not have the exact same strenuous schedule as the men, (particularly since this was actually a program for males only..) I do think that since your experience wasn't even the same experience as his, it's rather unfair to compare the two as an identical situation. If you don't mind my asking, were you also 16 when you went to Russia? And were you brought up in a home that allowed for children to develop independent natures so that they could handle new things? All of these things really do make a difference.
One last thought, someone else wrote a similar story, perhaps you didn't see it, from his own personal perspective (many of the young men aren't even willing to talk about their experience, it was so damaging.), there's a section of his story that details the leadership lying to his parents, deliberately and fully. I invite you to check it out.
It sounds like ALERT. Did the leaders tell the young men they didn't know God, to prove their faith did not, have faith or that God was unpleased with their lack of faith, because that would make it just like ALERT. How old were the leaders at Life Focus? One of the biggest cause of spiritual abuse and problems with IBLP is it place people who are too young, too immature, too inexperienced into positions of high spiritual authority.
We are parents and even though we haven't used BG material, my son is VERY interested in going to ALERT. He is 19 and everything we hear about it sounds very positive from others who have gone in the past,lets say, 3-6 years. Have you actually been through the ALERT program and could you share YOUR personal experience here? We have friends that had their sons go to these programs and a couple of them speak highly about it. We have always felt very cautious about the programs, but originally because of the expense, but now these sites have REALLY shown some light on how the program seems to work.
We have read many situations referring to ATI/IBLP, Life Focus and a few on the ALERT program, but will you PLEASE share your story about the ALERT program experience as well. We would not like our son to go to the program if it is so damaging, which is what it sounds like, but the final decision will be his. I think if he reads some of the ALERT experiences here, it will change his mind. I can't imagine it NOT changing his mind. These stories bring tears to my eyes. We are really looking for some help. We have looked at a few other recommended things from MatthewS who posts on here and we are grateful. Please help.
Thank you so much!
ALERT has changed a great deal over the years. BG has little to do with it, although in the last few years the physical challenges have apparently decreased due to his insistence that they focus more on spiritual things than physical, and I believe that Journey to the Heart has been included as part of the basic training. The current leaders of ALERT do not always agree with BG, but as with any organization, you have a variety of opinions circulating around the campus. I personally went through the STEP program and went back the following year as a leader. While STEP is not "ALERT for girls" and can't be compared, those two summers were the most challenging but also the best summers of my life. My boyfriend of four years and his brother both went through ALERT Basic training, ERT, and went on to complete EMT training through the program. Their experiences were mostly good ones, and I for one am glad my boyfriend went through..I saw God do a lot of work in his life and although it's not a "quick fix" in any way to banish all of your struggles and temptations when you return to normal life, I've seen how the lessons he learned during that time continue to impact his life. Many of my friends have had brothers go through as well, with many positive experiences. I don't agree with the way Life Focus was not open about it's agenda, but the ALERT program is designed to be very physically and spiritually challenging, and although they don't disclose every detail, they will tell you upfront to expect to be stretched and challenged. Many ALERT men have gone on to the military or into law enforcement. This training is not as difficult as marine basic training, and unlike the military, you don't have leaders cursing at students. If Christian parents are willing to entrust their sons to the care of the United States military branches, I see no reason for reservations about sending them to a program that will benefit them spiritually. As with any Christian organization, you'll have some leaders who are not all they appear to be, and you may hear some teaching you disagree with, but God can still use this program in a positive way in a young man's life, and there's no program you can go through where you agree with absolutely everything that comes out of the instructors mouths..we have the Holy Spirit for guidance and the Bible for instruction and we must act on the convictions the Holy Spirit impresses upon us personally, not rely on any program to shape our whole belief system. The bottom line..I wouldn't dismiss ALERT on the basis of BG and the scandals at HQ, because the program and the atmosphere at the Big Sandy campus is much different than at HQ.
"You can often take a young person farther than you can take their parents." --Bill Gothard May 1989, IBLP Counselling Seminar (IBLP Headquarters)
I believe that statement explains the confusion many parents face(d) regarding the difference between what IBLP did(does) and what they think IBLP taught. In all liklyhood, many parents would not have put up with the junk that their children endured.
I am sorry this happened to your brother, and I know of many cases very much like this one--really good kids (young kids) broken before they could grow in their walk with Christ (many had one to start with) and in some cases lost because of the hurts inflicted, many times discouraged in their walks with God today.
I had a lot of good experiences in this program, but I also saw serious wrongs. However, you won't find me justifying the wrong actions of it based on those good experiences.
I tend to post long, and my posts might seem to wander. I've had the frustrating experience of watching young people that needed help be turned away from the IBLP system because they did not exemplify correct responses.
In my struggles through it all, God led me to the place of admitting that I did not understand the power of the gospel itself even though I was well educated in IBLP teachings and doctrine. I found my mentors with a lot of spiritual gusto to pin the sinner to the wall with confrontation and prove to him that he was unworthey to even partake of God's goodness. To prove that he was indeed in violation of the law and going to hell was supposed to bring him to tears, and yet, the Holy Spirit was obviously not yet working in his life! I like to describe that technique in technical terms as "a waste of time" as the presentation of the "gospel" was done many times with a dismissive hand as it was rejected along with a 'go to hell then' type of attitude on the part of the presentor.
Observe where God is working, and partner with Him in it! Watch for God's hand and extend the hand of forgiveness and grace to the sinner.
God calls the unworthy, the sinner, to Himself, as He bleeds on the cross of sin and shame. Jesus took our sin and our shame which he did not deserve. He placed on Himself the iniquity of us all and dresses the repentant sinner in his holiness.
The wordly wisdom in such statements as, "God helps those who help themselves", and "If you don't care to help yourself, there's simply nothing anybody else can do to help you" exemplifies that we're not hearing the true gospel where "Jesus, while we were yet sinners, died for us", and where "the goodness of God brings man to repentance." How many times have you heard the clear, true message of the good news while hearing that "Grace" should not be considered "free?" Think about this, how can we stand justified obscuring the very message of the gospel itself while veiling our actions behind the excuse that a man might abuse grace if we simply teach the truth. The only thing simple about that is that it does not make any sense! Let's put it in perspective with this rephrasal, "Hang on God, let me tell a lie so that I can prevent this unrepentent heart from sinning against you just in case he really intends to abuse your grace! (By the way, I'm of the opinion that he is a bit suspect.)"
Maybe this line will put things in perspective, "Christians cannot handle liberty." That is an earmark of a false gospel--one that lacks the power of God. Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. That is the gospel. If the Christians around you cannot handle Christian liberty, then you might need to consider if you are around Christians or not.
If you cannot consider a person who claims to be a Christian capable of walking in Christian liberty in obedience to Christ, they have not yet come past the cross by the work of the Spirit of God. No, I do not believe in the carnal Christian as a long-term state of being. Don't be deceived, if you are attempting to mask the problem, it remains a problem. Only the Christian can walk in true liberty. Some will abuse that--to their own shame. Neither misrepresenting the gospel nor forcing people into a place where they live in continual guilt fixes the problem in the heart.
Don't do the job of the Holy Spirit. "My sheep know my voice, and they do not follow another." I believe we have underrated the power of the gospel itself as the work of God.
I don't know if the original author, or someone else, can verify this...but was this LF IV? I remember a Josh from there, and I remember being driven to Flint without warning and working there for a week. I can also confirm hanging drywall at the south campus, as well as many other things.
In case anyone here is wondering if this article is true, it sounds like it is. I don't know if my story will be published or not (I have no idea how many were submitted), but it confirms a lot of this stuff.
As a father and a grandfather the part about hauling the MINORS across state lines w/o parental permission or knowledge just put a knot in my stomach. I know I would demand answers and demand them immediately,,, What bg has done in the name of Christ has been an insult to the Christian reputation and to the definition of grace and mercy of our Great God and Savior...Am so thankful that eyes have been opened and people have left that outfit and are not placing (for the most part)the next generation under that cultic bondage...
I think in ATI if someone would sit up on a pole or bury themselves in the ground up to their necks like the early monks it would be "accounted to them for righteousness."
I remember a terrible day at Headquarters working when it was over 100 degrees outside and the air conditioning went out. We sat with the sweat pouring down our faces and were expected to be cheerful and answer the telephones with a smile on our face. My head felt as if it were going to split in two, but no one dared complain and be an "energy taker" or suggest we go home early. After all, this was a "ministry."
From my experience and my siblings experiences, I doubt these reports are exaggerated at all.
What a tragedy. I hope Josh is ok today. Life holds plenty of suffering without having it forced down someone's throat. Mountain top experiences are supposed to be encouraging times of uplifting to get us through the tough times later because we will not always be there. We need those good times to help us get through. Not to mention, if Life Focus was anything like the other programs, it cost no less than $2000 per student. Where did that money go? It does not cost that much money to house a few guys for 7 weeks in a hotel you own without a mortgage especially if you are feeding them on rations. The people that worked at those places were made to feel priviledged for getting to work for a TC for free or a pittance. What's worse is that this often attracted unsavorable people who were horrible. The Gurgany's who ran ITC were a couple of kooks. My poor daughter endured so much at the hand of those two. Anyway, I know because we talked about working for them once when Big Sandy opened and we were told we could come at our own expense but no salary would be given. I worked for ATI for over ten years doing the Wisdom Searchers loop and with the exception of someone who paid my tuition, that was the only gift ever given to me. I was grateful because we had no money for the tuition. This work often required hours of time which I gladly did for free because I was told how poor and pitiful the ministry was and I honestly wanted to make those moms successful. That story about the money was a lie. Check out Revelation 22 to find out what happens to liars. When I consider that this man could have generously paid me, it makes me sick. He had plenty of money to do that. But to take this exorbitant money for these programs to abuse these young people whom the parents entrusted to their care is near unforgivable. On a brighter note, Eileen's time at Excel with the Bells was very good. It was the polar opposite of this above story. Eileen made such good friends from that experience that have lasted her to this day. That program did encourage those girls to walk with The Lord.
I have never met a greedier person than Bill Gothard. I received my annual birthday card telling me how to be rich. It makes a person feel so unloved of God to know how rich Bill is compared to us. But that was never God's intention. He stole from people to build his empire to acheive this self assumed greatness that will not be worth ten cents in heaven. God help him on the day of judgment.
Vera
My brother went through similar experiences when he went to ALERT. He came home early looked gaunt and sad. He had been looking forward to ALERT and made preparations weeks and months in advance. Oddly though, my parents seemed more concerned with what they felt was inadequate spiritual teaching, than with the fact that my fact that my brother was seriously malnourished and weak. As I greeted him in the living room the morning he returned his hands were trembling as he drank a cup of coffee. He made excuses for the way he was treated, but I was furious. Funny thing is, he later joined the military and loved it! I could tell you a lot more about the evils of ATI/IBLP, write a book even. But I'll save it for another day.
Bill Gothard is a scary man. Under the guise of christianity this man was an evil cult leader. What he and his organization did was child abuse and worse. Parents do not send your children there.