Hephzibah House Journal

Hephzibah House Journal
Susan Grotte's journal from her experience as a student at Hephzibah House, told in short-story form.

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Natasha Jovic: Survivor!



I honestly believe that the Williams are serving the Lord through ministry. I do recall them sending parts of the bible to Croatia (I believe it was.) However, I don’t feel that they should be working with teenage girls.

The girls need so much more they aren’t getting there. I’m not sure they are even aware of what they are doing wrong. I do believe they had good intentions but got carried away. I think they are "power tripping" because they can.

I never felt like anyone there cared about us girls. They were cold and distant. I was lied to by Patty. I was in need of discipline when I went to HH. I was acting out because I had issues with my family.

I WOULD HAVE RATHER GONE TO BOOT CAMP THAN HH! At least at boot camp they tear you down and then build you back up the right way. At HH all I received was constant tearing down. They made us see ourselves as ugly people deserving of nothing better than to burn in hell for eternity. What they did was wrong on so many levels.

Marlene struck a nerve in me. How can someone who hasn’t experienced something tell all these girls they are wrong and she is right?! Marlene, things are not always what they seem. Pat if you re standing up for God…then why get on here and call names such as devils, idiots and stupid? And who are you to judge whether or not we have a REAL life? You’re no better than HH judging us as if you know our life story. Just because we rebelled a little as a child doesn’t give anyone the right to abuse us the way HH did.

HH was sure to drill into us the error of our ways. Well, now it’s time for them to see theirs and the damage they inflicted on girls who could have been helped!