Becky Kleckner (From a Survivor's Sister)

Well it sounds like you might have made a difference to some people but Williams has that town believing that he is God or something.

The story about me almost getting arrested is a long one. But I will tell you that we protested in front of Williams property. And that we were watched every minute by the police and that if we did one thing wrong they were going to arrest us. Williams keep pulling in and out of the drive way he would go drive right past but my sister was woke up in the middle of the night and taken from the house and put somewhere else. We had the news from channel 2 and we had the newspaper and DCFS and several others involved in the case.

The problem is that he is a private and funded church and that is the problem the State cannot step in unless they have proof of the abuse that Williams is doing to the girls. You can protest and try anything you want but I am telling you that unless someone speaks up and finds him guilty of abuse he will still keep running the HH. My sister never had a period while she was there either but they took her to the doctor just before she was sent home. 

My sister was released because there was a custody issue between my Mom and Dad, My Mom lied to Williams and said that she had 100% custody but that wasn't true and my Dad had just as much right as my Mom did. So when Williams found out that my Dad was right he got scared and called my Mom and told her under the conditions of my Mom lying to Williams and Williams lawyer finding out that it was true that my Dad did have 50% custody and that he could make him release my sister he told my Mom to come and pick her up now that he didn't ever want anything to do with my Mom or our family again. That he wished my Mom all the luck in the world.

Shirley Viciedo (A letter from a Mom)

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Mom's Story

I hope my story will help other parents avoid the same mistakes we made when dealing with what we perceived as a "problem child." I am the mother of a daughter that we (her father and I) sent away to be "rehabilitated" at a home for girls called "Hephzibah House" (located in Indiana).

In 1981 we were new believers in Christ, and we wanted to be part of a church that could help us grow in our new found faith. We found one in a local independent Baptist church where we learned many good Biblical principles. After several years, we were compelled to move to another town to accommodate my husband's job. We moved and again joined a small Baptist church that we felt was like minded.

The pastor there was new and extremely charismatic, and though in the beginning he seemed kind and caring, it wasn't long before control became the issue of the day. The podium soon became a whipping post for members (who were called out by name) and sermons were always on the issue of standards rather than doctrine (i.e., hair, dresses, relationships with members of the opposite sex, total submission of wives to husbands, socializing, etc.). The teens in our church were all "suspect" (all the teens except his own daughter).

During this time our two teen daughters attended a Christian school, which was associated with another church, but our pastor convinced us that they should have no contact outside of school with the other kids. No more sports, teen groups, or extra curricular activities. Our girls could do virtually nothing for enjoyment. Everything came to a head when our oldest child, then seventeen, ran away from home to a friend's house. Long story short-we were advised to enroll her in a home for wayward girls-Hephzibah House.

We were so stressed at the time, that we agreed, due to the pressure and advice of our then pastor. Once we got to Hephzibah House, we had to agree to no visits for months at a time, and only once monthly phone calls. It was not until years later, that we found out that all the phone calls were strictly monitored and censored in order to prevent her from telling us the truth. We also found out that she received our letters with huge portions blacked out with a permanent marker, which she perceived as us saying something to her that was inappropriate.

It also took years for her to be able to tell us about the beatings, the deprivation, isolation and humiliation, and the rationing and withholding of food. Our daughter stayed at Hephzibah for the entire 15 months that we had agreed to. However, after about 6 months at Hephzibah, our daughter turned 18 years old. I had looked forward to this day as her homecoming. When I called to make arrangements to pick her up early, I was actually put on the phone with her, and she told me that she did not want to come home. I was heartbroken and asked her why she didn't want to come home, and her reply was that she was "not ready."

Years later, knowing how the phone calls were censored, this conversation now makes sense to me. In 1989-1990 we sent approximately $350 per month to Hephzibah House, and in addition we sent all of her personal needs items as well (deodorant, toothpaste, etc), yet she was denied the very things we sent for her.

While we now have a normal mother-daughter relationship, I have watched her struggle through the years with severe depression. I have seen her make less than wise choices regarding her life, and I am convinced that her experiences at Hephzibah House have played a huge part in that. You may be surprised to know that even now, my husband and I belong to a Bible believing independent Baptist church, and we have attended there for the past seventeen years. It is a place where Biblical doctrine is preached, and the people flourish.

Linda Guest (A Letter from a Mom)

My daughter is Angela Guest who was listed on your missing site. She has written blogs on formerhephzibahhousegirls.webs.com

I was against sending her to Hephzibah House. Our pastor and Youth Pastor talked my husband into it, and he and I argued until he talked me into it. I never agreed to it even though I gave in. Knowing what I have learned since Angela left there, I wish I had stood by my feelings and not given in. I cried every single day she was gone and prayed constantly. I wonder if she will ever truly be over her experience there.

She had nightmares when she came home and probably still does. She has two beautiful daughters now, and is doing well, but I know she has never forgotten all she endured at Hephzibah House. It breaks my heart that Angela has such deep scars from this experience, and it has affected her trust issues and other areas of her life.

I know that there are good schools out there for dealing with troubled teen girls, but I don't feel that HH is one of them.

My husband also feels badly that he listened to them instead of just praying through the matter and getting GOD's answer. He let them be his "Holy Spirit". I do feel that he gave us some wrong advice. I am still wondering if we should actually tell him how bad Angela was treated at HH. Maybe it would prevent him giving advice to send anyone else there, but I wonder if he would actually believe how bad it was.

Thanks for listening – I know that someone who has been there will understand.

Joyce (A letter from a Mom)

25 years ago, as a single mom of 3 daughters, I was having a difficult time with my oldest.

When she was 14, the Christian school expelled her for smoking and she was buckling under secular peer pressure at the public school. My daughter became involved with a boy and became truant from school to be with him. I sought the advice of our Pastor. I respected his wisdom. He knew Ron Williams' ministry, Hephzibah House.

Ron Williams had been a speaker at our church camp, Camp Peniel. Arrangements were made without my daughters knowledge. Hephzibah House said it would be better that she not know. I thought with their experience they must have reasons for not informing the girls.

After a waiting period of 3 months, and depending on how my daughter adjusted or how rebellious she was, she was determined a visit from the family. Visitation and phone calls were monitored by the staff. Incoming and outgoing letters were read and marked out to keep information from the reader. All of this was cited in the pre-form information.

24 yrs later I found out that meals were withheld for punishment or she would be so hungry, she would sneak handfuls of vitamins. When they had corn on the cob the girls would suck everything off the cob. If they were given apples, the core and all were eaten--while the Williams kids would stand in front of them eating a bag of chips! On 2 occasions she helped clean chickens and ducks that had been slaughtered. Those times were the only time they had meat and they sucked the bone marrow,fat and veins off the bone. My daughter was there 17 months and never had red meat! They were taken to Duffs Buffet in Ft. Wayne once and they could eat anything, but if they got sick from eating to much, they would be punished.

My daughter was at Hephzibah House for 17 months and never had a period!! WHY??I regret my daughter ever being there.

If referring Pastors knew how Hephzibah House disregarded and disrespected the girls as young ladies and how they were treated as servants and slaves. The Williams' Family/Hephzibah House is not a ministry like they claim--- it is just a business!!!!!!!!

A regretful Mom

Betty Doebbeling (A letter from a Mom)

I am writing this statement in support of all that has been said by others regarding the prison-like atmosphere at Hephzibah House, owned and operated by Pastor and Mrs. Ron Williams.
Although we had read all materials available to us at the time, (early 1980's so no internet) and although we had given the materials to our daughter to read and agree with before we took her there, we (her father and I) had no real idea of how the place was run.

It has been many years now, so with age, I'm sorry to say that some of my memories dim, but I do distinctly remember being told after we got to the facility that "for our daughter's own good" communications would be extremely limited and all communication would be monitored. We had no idea to what extent. I know that we were allowed Sunday phone calls during a 30 minute window. I cannot remember whether or not we were to initiate the call. We called as often as we possible could and the times we did get to speak with our daughter, there was always someone listening in. Unknown to us, she was living in mortal fear of saying something unacceptable and if she did so, a severe paddling/beating would result. Thus, our conversations were stilted and uncomfortable but we were led to believe that all was going well.

With regard to letter writing, we didn't know that our letters were tightly censored and blacked out if we said anything the staff deemed "unacceptable". It is highly unlikely that our daughter even received most of my letters as I was looked upon by the staff as a very sinful human being and a "sorry" parent. By the same token, we received very, very few letters from our daughter and the ones we got were pretty much written to make us think she was well adjusted, getting good grades, etc. but they all sounded the same.

On our first visit which was allowed several months into her "incarceration", her Dad and I were horrified to see how skeletal she appeared. She had black circles under her eyes and white spots on her teeth. Her normal build was quite "willowy" and had never been heavy, but her arms at this point were just sticks, her cheeks sunken in and face incredibly bony. Because of the spots on her teeth, which I knew could appear from self-induced vomiting, I remarked to Pastor Williams that we were really concerned about her weight loss, asked if they had noticed any excessive vomiting and then asked if they would take her to a doctor to be sure she was not ill. They assured me they would. They later contacted us and said she had been seen by a doctor and deemed well. Unknown to us, the simple concern about vomiting caused extreme distress for all of the residents/inmates as they were thereafter followed and observed by a staff member even for the most intimate personal situations. i.e., given 3 pieces of toilet paper following a bowel movement, having to announce what they were doing with same and announce when they would be done.

Of course now we live with the deepest regrets imaginable and can only be thankful our daughter has forgiven our error in judgment which resulted in a negative life-altering time for her. Her Dad and I have renewed our relationship with her and, praise be to God, we now love each other with an eternal love. We loved her then too. We just chose a horrible path for her when we thought we were going to assist her safely through some very troubled years. She shows signs of severe PTSD even now, 25 years later-as do almost all of the women who have written on the blog.