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One Year Ago Today…

by | Jan 8, 2021 | Bill Gothard, Lawsuit, The Year of Nourishment

This picture popped up on my FB memories today with the caption:

Off to Chicago to see some of the most dear people in the world to me. A two hour flight means plenty of time to churn out a new chapter or two.

#scandalousgrace
#kiakaha
#fiercewomen

Wow. What a memory. This plane ride marked the beginning of the most challenging and beautiful week of my life.

I wasn’t allowed to publicly reveal my true reason for going to Chicago until several days later. The truth was I was going to Chicago to testify in court against my ex-cult leader, Bill Gothard.

Meeting my fellow plaintiffs at the hotel that night was so incredible. We had been walking through fire together for over three years and so many friendships had been forged, yet many of us had never met in person. Priceless tears of relief, grief, and joy were shed as we each finally got the opportunity to hug each other tightly for the first time.

I’ll never forget the love I felt that week from the ex-cult community, as well as the thousands of prayers lifted up before us. Of course we were all a bit nervous as to what would be the outcome to that week, but I don’t believe we ever really felt fear. My only explanation is that Jesus’s strength took over and we knew without a doubt that we were where we were supposed to be. ?

~Em

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About the Author

Emily Elizabeth Anderson is a Christian blogger and rising activist for people who have experienced abuse within a Christian environment.

After growing up in a fundamentalist cult for 23 years and experiencing childhood domestic violence, Emily began her journey to recovery in 2015 and eventually found Jesus to be her ultimate healer. She soon turned her passion for writing into a blog and her story has since been featured on several media outlets including NPR.

She married her best friend, Joshua, in 2020 and together they are passionate about educating on the realities of trauma survival and recovery, as well as supporting survivors they meet through their online community.

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