The Tragic Side of a Mormon Mission
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- čas přidán 7. 06. 2024
- She came home early from her Mormon mission due to medical negligence, all while dealing with the news that her parents no longer believed in the church. Hear from both mom and missionary, Collette and Keylee, in this heartfelt episode of ups downs and lemons on asses. You’ll see.
Chapter Markers
00:00:00 Intro
00:02:17 Why Keylee wanted to go on a mission
00:05:33 Collette's Mormon background
00:09:52 The Argentina training center & language barrier
00:12:24 Baptizing vulnerable groups of people
00:16:00 Does Keylee feel guilt about "changing" and converting people?
00:17:45 What does a mission cost? Shocking food allowance
00:21:28 The medical issue downward spiral
00:25:24 An odd prescription
00:28:19 Blood, everywhere
00:31:08 A ward member steps up to the plate
00:34:18 Keylee's parents confess they are leaving the church
00:39:09 How did Collette start to wake up?
00:43:21 How she told her husband
00:48:45 The aftermath of leaving the LDS church
00:51:04 Keylee's post-mission perspective on her "apostate" parents
00:52:58 When did Keylee also start questioning?
01:02:46 The stigma of coming home early from a mission
01:07:58 Linda, Listen
Follow Keylee on IG @Key31999
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Theme Song Produced and Composed by Christian Guevara
*Disclaimer: Thanks for joining us at Cults to Consciousness. This storytelling podcast is meant to be for entertainment purposes only and does not substitute for medical advice. We may discuss triggering topics and we ask that you make your personal mental health a priority. Lastly, the opinions of our guests do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the host.*
"You were perfect the way you were before I tried to change your life around." This sentence gave me chills. A beautiful realization.
Right?! 🙏🏼
It was a realization for me that these two are delusional. Perfect the way you were? You believe that’s a good outlook on the world for a parent or child? It’s a ridiculous outlook and objectively untrue. It’s damning.
@@tylerhall6228 "Objectively" untrue? Maybe look up that word.
@@raycin313 well if you’re concern is grammatical, I think objectively false might be better phrasing. If you’re saying it’s not objectively true they this person was perfect the way they were… I’m not sure what could possibly be more objective than that. There are many flaws with every person.
Yes, that hit me too
You know it's a psychological trauma when the nervous smiles and laughter are overlaid with descriptions of events that border on horrifying.
Well said.
That is exactly what I thought. Very sad
I'm so glad you pointed that out -- I wouldn't have recognized it nearly this early in the video if you hadn't!
When I served as a missionary, me and my companion did not had any food for an entire week. I was too afraid to let my mission president know because they used to say that if we were struggling we had to repent!
As I'm listening right now to this girl, I'm in tears, it is one among the many things that still hurts me. I'm no longer attending church for many reasons but I stil struggle.
I’m so sorry to hear that! How awful!! Hope you’re doing well now ❤️
At age 50 I started what I called a faith journey on the internet to learn more about the history of the church and the life of Joseph Smith, I tried to keep my research within the boundaries of unbiased history sites. I ended up going down rabbit holes that I could not have imagined. I had taken the red pill with out even meaning too. It was a very rude awakening. I stayed active in the church for 9 years after that. When I mentioned to my wife that maybe I don’t believe in the church anymore, she threatened to take the kids and leave me. At age 59 I made the decision to go inactive. When you find out that there’s no Santa, there’s no going back.
May l ask you , what sites would you recomend for reputable history? Thanks ahead of time.💔
@In Christ Alone I would start with the church's own website with gospel topic essays. I would then go to sites that don't have an ax to grind against the church but are not biased towards it either. I had a history minor in college. I approached this with the idea that if I was going to write a peer reviewed paper on Joseph Smith, where would I go?
I've noticed in the past 20 yrs history has changed. I know I left "the church" over 40 yrs ago. Before you could "Google it" up until then the only thing that changed in "the church" was Joseph Smith has gained TWO wives, the hours (no more We'd. or Teu. MIA or primary) & they started calling the president of "the church" the "prophet" more. Suddenly now Joseph has gained over 20 wives some of them children & some already married 😱 I think black pioneers??? Kiss my ass!!! Absolutely not with brigham young!! He was a drunkard a narcissist he ran the state like he was a tyrant king not a leader!!! Look further than the Google. Read the TRUE scriptures the Holy Bible & pray about it. Read them half or just a quarter of the time that you spent with "the church" I guarantee you'll get your answers🥰
@@inChristalone1960 I'm looking for that myself 😊 I looked for a "true church" 40 yrs thought I found one, but they started to feel "demanding" st first it was "just ask Jesus into your heart" (I did this in 1969 in between my baptism & confirmation) then they started asking to get baptized. God has guided me since 1978 (not because of the "blacks getting the priesthood" , my court was supposed to be held the day they announced this revelation from "God" truly it was a revelation from the IRS 😂 like I said you're probably exhausted from scriptures but do pray in earnest look at the facts as you knew them growing up as well as the "revelations" your told recently, discern & common sense will show you your truth. The American Indians are very disturbed by what the BOM teaches DNA proves there's no Hebrew blood in them. I (personally) believe Joseph Smith did have a vision but I was taught he saw Jesus & John the Baptist in his 1st vision. He was a young boy wanting his family back reunited as it had been before what did Jesus say? " None of these are true" so he studied the Bible & prayed then in that grove he had another vision NOT from Jesus in my mind it was satan dressed up as an angel from God. If you'd like to discuss further my name is Shelly Kay Nacht in FB send me a message along with a request 🙂 good luck & God bless you 🙏
@@SteveSmith-os5bs you'll find it hard to find anyone who has no ax to grind. Have you seen Hello Saints? I watch it because "the church" has changed so much but I don't have hours to spend on John Dehlin elf on a shelf or exmoLex these may be true stories but I don't hate my Mormon (I say Mormon because when I left that's what I was 😂😂) but they're still angry and as long as they look for angry they're gonna find it. Same with those who defend Mormonism you can't talk someone out of what the as well as their ancestors believe in. Look at what THEY went through frostbite polygamy crickets 😱🤣🤣 satan knows The Holy Bible better than anyone he's lives it!
i was a convert for 7 years. i left the church last year. what solidified it was the fact i was in a wheel chair for 7 months after falling down the stairs and badly breaking my foot. the bishop told me he doesnt believe i couldnt get to church and my foot should have been healed already..just 3 months later. i asked him for a food basket because i lost my job due to my injury and lost my unemployment benefits. he said, "you have to be active in the church. theres no reason you cant go to church." even though i was in a wheelchair stuck upstairs in my apartment and couldn't even get around my own place. he denied the food basket. i asked for the sacrament to be brought over in hopes it would show him i was making an effort. he told me, '"you're not disabled enough" and denied the request. i emailed the president, i received no response. this was while i was living in a city where i knew absolutely no one and zero support. that was in 2021 and im still traumatized from that
No freebies? You need to get into a church that'll gush all over your unemployed ass.
Oh lm so sorry for the rubbish experience.the Church is perfect but some members including leaders get it so wrong.l know my Bishop would have made sure you had everything you need.Sending you love❤
My eldest brother was conned into doing the mission thing and later on became a bishop. He has told me that he got his ass reamed by a higher ranking member, stake president or something like that, for helping a family out by paying their heating bill. He has many disgusting stories about LDS, Inc., since he came to his senses and figured out that God is much bigger than the Mormon church. He has a friend who has returned to the cult who is working on him to get back into it. Why anyone would ever return to that torture chamber literally escapes me.
Hello Callie. Jesus has not given up on you.
I sincerely hope your faith in God remains unshaken. Jesus did not promise us happiness on this earth. In taking the cross he joined us in our suffering, he did not banish the suffering. Jesus shows usbhow to carry our crosses, this has always been the teaching of the Catholic Church.
We recognise that our goal isn't to be happy but to seek holiness.
I will be praying for your good health and for you to achieve holiness in your life. May the precious blood of Jesus cover you and your family, Sancta Maria, ora pro nobis!
So sorry for that experience that is a complete failure of all things Christian. Jesus spent so much time with the disabled hurting and marginalized. Clearly they were precious to Him
Very hard hearted and difficult to understand😮
You can see the pain in the mom’s eyes when she’s listening to her daughter talk about how sick she was and how badly she was taken care of.
Poor Keylee. 😔
Very heartbreaking to hear the daughter's mission trials and see her Mom's pain. 😢
I love these 3 women. THEY KEEP IT REAL. ❤❤❤
And yet she decided to tell her daughter that she is leaving the church when her daughter is in a foreign country. How about you wait till she got home?
The Mormon church is sitting on billions of dollars while these missionaries are sent out, improperly supported, and in this case, placed in a potential life threatening situation. Something is terribly wrong and actually ….corrupt.
Every time I get into a discussion with Mormons on these forums, they always bring up how charitable their church is. However, they never bring up the fact that they employ people to go live far away from home and be unpaid salespeople 24/7 for 2 years straight. Where in the hell is their charity in that? (and to their OWN people for cryin' out loud!)
Actually it's in the Trillions with over 100 billion just in investments savings and over 1 million acres of land.
@@stevenhenderson9005 Excellent point Steve. It's always good to see you on here bringing the truth-bombs!
@@stevenhenderson9005 I was being conservative by saying billions….I’ve met many a missionary. All good kids(elders and sisters), really thoughtful and hardworking. Earnest and caring, I’ve enjoyed their visits and lessons. But…It is truly sad that they are all being lied to and brainwashed, while they subsidize the MORMONS with their youthful blind faith and personal finances. This story of the woman’s life threatening health issues and the failure of the church to kindly assist, highlights the depth of moral corruption of the church leadership. Her testimony should be heard by all the children and their parents who make a commitment to missionary work.
@@mylesmarkson1686 well they don’t really employ the missionaries since the missionaries pay for everything including their plane ticket.
Your Aunt is literally a cross between Pink and Charlize Theron lol. I'm so glad that they were able to come through this as a family, it must be so so hard to face the fact that you've been lied to for your whole life. To have your friends and family turn against you is heartbreaking, I cannot imagine xx
Yes re the cross between Pink and Charlize Theron, So true! I immediately thought of Pink, when I started watching the video, but I can absolutely see Charlize Theron too.
Me to pink she is stunning beutiful
She is her mother not aunt
@@wandamcintosh6336 I had initially thought that Keely was her cousin, making Collette her aunt. I realised later that they are both cousins to Shelise.
@@wandamcintosh6336- The comment was referring to Shelise’s relationship w/ Keylee’s mom, Colette. They are both Shelise’s cousins & mother & daughter to each other.
Almost 20 years ago now, when walking around central Athens, Greece I would run into Mormon missionaries reasonably frequently. I remember this one kid, he had his little black badge with his name written in a pretty bad font that was hard to read because the Greek word for Elder is pretty long and a badly transcribed American surname on it, holding their usual little blue book. It was around the Easter holidays time and I was in the square in the morning, with very few other people there as that's kind of a quiet time. I was sitting on a bench waiting for a friend when this kid approached me.
He was around my age, 19 or 20, and I was fresh out of believing in the Greek Orthodox church or any religion for that matter; I was a newly minted atheist and pretty smug about it. I knew what church he was from and what his church believed. He spoke with an uneven tone, a voice sounding like it needed a rest from preaching and his hands trembled... He looked pale and malnourished. I asked him how long he'd been in Greece, he said 3 months. Then I asked him general questions about the life of a missionary including what they ate etc.
It was pretty quiet and I could hear his stomach growling periodically. Eventually, I said "look man, I ain't buyin' what you're sellin' but, I'm gonna go to that sandwich shop and buy two sandwiches. I'm gonna come back to this bench and eat one of them. I'll put the other one down on the bench for anyone who might need it...". When I came back and put the sandwich down on the bench it took him a couple of internal conflict I guess but then he picked it up and devoured it.
I saw my friend on the other side of the square and as I got up to walk towards my friend, I looked at this kid and said "nice talking to you". As I walked away I looked back and saw him pocket one of the napkins on which I'd written the address of an anarchist squat I volunteered with at the time that served food to the homeless and poor in the area; I'd let them know these kids need help. I saw him and three of his "friends" turn up a couple times while I was there. I always wondered if doing that was against their rules or something.
To this day, I have never understood what drives such a rich church to not provide sufficient care for their people on mission.
Greed. Like most cults their only goal is to make as much money and control as many people to do so as possible.
Thank you for caring about someone's child. You are a compassionate person & a true human being. There is a GOD, pretty sure he was impressed w you that day.
That’s so kind of you to give him food and a place to get more with his friends. That should be normal but it’s not. I bet they were so thankful for that. Hopefully they left the church. It’s horrible to starve people when the church has billions of dollars and the ability to feed their missionaries. Awful.
@@bunnylacy2097 Missionaries are on their own..."without purse of script" remember? They're on their own "faith journey".Why are you looking to interfere?
Also in Greece here. I used to see missionaries going around but not lately. And after learning what I know now about that corporate cult I was always prepared to impart some snide remarks if I saw one now. Not any more though. Now I'll just offer them food too.
I am so grateful. At sixteen I experienced gang rape and went to a Priesthood member that did nothing to help me. I am comforted to hear your story and the life you have created post-Mormonism. Thank you.
Oh my gosh I’m so sorry to hear that!!❤️
I’m so sorry that you had such a horrible experience and at a young age❤.
I'm so very sorry you went through that. I have no words.
I hope in time you can heal a little. I know it'll always be with you, but I sincerely hope you can work through what happened to you. Sending love and respect. ❤
I was raped by a church member and I was told to practice forgiveness and keep being his friend, just so he could do it again, then I was punished for “having sex” outside of marriage but nothing ever happened to him, that’s when I left
We think we live in this great country where people who do wrong are punished. If that were really true, We wouldn't need superheroes. I'm the person who would kill someone who attacked my friend, even if it meant my life. So I don't understand how these men could think even for one minute that what they've done is OK.
Thank you for this episode. As a fellow Utah former-Mormon, it is so refreshing to hear from other Utahns who came to the conclusion to separate from the church. I don't meet very many, and it's nice to know I'm not alone.
You are DEFINITELY not alone! So many exmos out there. Especially in Utah! If you haven’t already, check out Mormon Stories. He’s got over 1,000 interviews with people who have left
Wow. I always offer Mormon missionaries food because they are kids on their feet all day and I feel sorry for them. I figure this is my way of sharing Jesus' love with them lol. But now I feel really glad I've done that.
Thanks for that, I will do the same
I’ve have had a number of Mormon mission kids in my home and I never offered them food because I thought they couldn’t or wouldn’t take it. Knowing what I know now, I would feed them . Poor kids.
When we see young men walking through town in dress pants, white shirts with ties, are probably Mormon boys on mission? I just assumed they were JW since I live in Arkansas and falsely assumed all Mormons lived in Utah lol since then I found there’s a Mormon temple in the very county I live in.
@@MimiDidi121 The Mormon tentacles reach far. I hear Las Vegas Nevada has tons of Mormons. I never would've thought it lol
@@MimiDidi121 yep…those are probably Mormon “kids.” The sisters dress almost the same, minus the tie and their skirts are long, shoes sensible
This story hurts my heart. I’ve traveled all over the world for public health aide work. Everywhere I’ve traveled, my senior has told me where it’s ok to go in ER or where to go if a non emergent health issue pops up and how their system is different from where I grew up. I can’t imagine a leader not taking this serious and making sure she went to the right doc/hospital/whatever. Hugs
Yeah, it was completely mishandled.
When I was a missionary, I had a health issue that seemed serious at first. A fellow missionary called the mission office. The mission President was leading a large meeting when the call came in, which he halted and devoted full focus to getting me transported to the mission office, and getting me treated. I had uninterrupted contact w my parents until it was resolved, and access to high quality medical consultation despite being far from western standard care hospital. The reality is that the quality of mission presidents can vary. Almost certainly, her mission President was not from the US. This was not how it should have been handled. Mission areas have pretty exceptionally credentialed MDs called to deal with these situations. I knew one who served from my ward invented a procedure now the world standard. Not clear how the on-call physician wasn’t better on top of this. The people involved are human and make mistakes. Given that the church has 50-60k young missionaries serving all around the world, mistakes will occur, but this story is an outlier.
Well then. I guess the church is true. Umm...wait.@@travisjones3794
At the 45 min mark when the mom was telling her side of the story, that waking up process is where I am now. Its so hard and I realized how alone I am now. The church had been my life, I don't have many friends but the few I did have were always other church members.
I would really LOVE an episode on what's next, how to move on?
At least they sent her home. My Mom's friends son went to Indonesia got malaria and got lost 😱 nobody knew where he was from his partner to the president for 3 months she (Mom's Friend) sent him a plane ticket as soon as he called her because he was there 2 weeks beyond his mission already. Bless her heart she's still a member 😢
It all depends on the mission president. They get penalized if too many missionaries leave. Also the church is less willing to let men leave the mission early than women
Did he come back??
@@oxin1099 oh yes he called his mom when he figured out who & where he was (2 weeks beyond his return date) she sent him a plane ticket he came home. Had his "welcome home" Sacrament meeting 3 weeks later. They considered him no longer "set apart" as soon as he got on the plane so family could hug when he got home. This was in 1980-82 & last I heard he's still a member but not active.🤗
If you are Mormon you can’t have coffee?
@@skyjust828 I'm so happy to hear that, I was worried that he didnt get to go home
I happened upon this episode and really enjoyed it! I was never Mormon, but I grew up in a small Mormon town in Utah. It was very hard to be one of the very few outsiders. I had friends, but there was always a big barrier between us. They also couldn’t handle it if I didn’t follow the church’s rules even though I wasn’t a member. It was definitely a unique way to grow up. I feel like it gave me more compassion for people, but also made me more cautious about being a part of any church. I have great respect for the courage it took for these women to leave because even as a non member I understand the cost. So glad they have found joy!
Hi Sarah! Welcome to C2C! I bet that was very isolating! I grew up in tremonton utah 😜
My poor mother grew up in Heber City. She was one of two nonmormons total in her school. She was constantly singled out, & finally her parents went to the state Dept. of education or whatever entity it was. One of her teachers was forced to apologize to her. This was in the late 40s, early '50s. Terribly isolating.
I had severe mental health problems on my mission. The mission not only failed to be a supportive environment, but I feel like it actively worked against me and promoted very damaging feelings of shame. The fact that I made it through a whole year and a half of that boggles my mind.
I’m so sorry to hear that! Hope you’re doing better now!
How so?
@@nobodysbaby5048Let me try to paint a picture by recounting a couple of my experiences. I've been home from my mission for several years, though, so some memories are a little hazy.
I was called to the Ecuador Guayaquil South Mission, but because my visa was not ready by the time I finished at the MTC (missionary training center - I was there for six weeks), I served my first transfer in Los Angeles instead. The communication around this was horrible - basically non-existent, really. I only found out I had been reassigned because the mission listed on my online missionary portal changed. Once in Los Angeles, I was very anxious because I had no idea what was going to happen to me - when or if I would make it to Ecuador - and because I was fresh in the field. I guess word got out that I was stressed , because one day, my companions (I was in a trio) drove me to talk to... someone. I wasn't sure who. The situation was not explained to me - and it wasn't a language barrier because we were still in America, speaking English. Once the meeting with that someone started, however, her purpose became pretty clear. She was trying to assess my mental wellbeing, I imagined, to determine if I could handle going abroad or not. This sent me a message loud and clear: if I wanted to go to Ecuador (and I did), I had to be okay. I wasn't allowed to have a hard time. So I said I was fine. I had not been told I was to be evaluated, they just did it. I later found out that my visa had been ready almost the entire time I had been in Los Angeles and rather than tell me that, they left me to wonder what the heck was gonna happen to me for the next year and a half.
So I made it to Ecuador. My mission was pretty strict. "Exact obedience" was taken very seriously. There was no privacy or freedom. Sometimes, on p-days (our days off), when we were hanging around the apartment and I was mentally, physically, and socially exhausted, I would take my Bible to the bedroom to read and relax. My companion told me that was inappropriate because we had to be in the same room. I kept a journal to write down my feelings and experiences, but I was allotted so little time that the effort to keep up was causing more stress than it was alleviating. I once had a fellow missionary admit to me that she had been assigned to me during exchanges (when we switch companions for a day) so she could spy on me and report back how I was doing. They probably meant well, but if they want to know, if they want to help... earn my trust and ASK me, don't spy on me! So there I was, in a foreign country I wasn't familiar with, speaking a language I barely understood, surrounded by other missionaries who didn't speak my language, and I felt utterly alone, stripped of all coping mechanisms and feeling unable to trust anyone. I remembered the message I had been taught: I'm not allowed to have a hard time.
Let's fast-forward a year. I'd been gritting my teeth through it this whole time, trying to keep tears to a minimum because I was ashamed. But of course I couldn't always keep my dark feelings hidden from my companions because I was never allowed to be in a different room from them, even at home. I was afraid word would get out and I'd be seen as a broken missionary. A piece of work. The one a stronger missionary would be sent to fix. Worse, what if they sent me home a failure? One day, I cracked under the stress. I locked myself in the bathroom at church and cried. I couldn't stop. My companion couldn't get me out until she proposed we return to our apartment. So I locked myself in the apartment bathroom and cried. My companion called the mission president. She asked if we could have a break from proselytizing so I could rest and recover. He said no. We went back out there. Later that day, the branch president (the man in charge of the local congregation) pulled us aside and told me I couldn't cry in front of people. It made us look bad. Of course, there wasn't a time when I was allowed to not be around people, so I couldn't cry ever... I wasn't allowed to have a hard time. Missionaries aren't treated as humans. And as set up for failure as I was, I was terribly ASHAMED of myself. Because I had a hard time. To this day, I think I would have trouble looking at people from that period of my life in the eye. I still can't admit it to my family.
TLDR; I was given no time, space, or ability to cope with working 24/7 with people I didn't know in a country I didn't know, speaking a language I didn't know. I felt broken, I was overwhelmed with shame, and I had no one and nothing to turn to. The mission had immediately taught me that if anyone found out how I really felt, they would know I wasn't good enough to be there. This lesson was reinforced every time I let the facade slip.
What a sad story. I hope things are better for you now.
@@sinSARAHty Wow, that's an introvert's nightmare.
I am sobbing with how supportive this mom is.
Seriously the best coolest supportive mom! All very lucky to have each other
I wish she was my mother. I had to leave my family behind in my cult that I walked away from.
I agree. I just want a hug from her! haha. I don't have any family left and lost my mom to addiction, I've never had a strong family bond with my immediate family and they all seem like the most lovely, sweet, genuine people.
Married at 19 …. At 19 I was literally still crying over the Jonás brothers 🤣🤣🙄like it’s Not a mature age for 99 % of people 🤣
😂😂😂
I had 2 kids by the time I was 19, and my US army husband and I were stationed overseas during the Cold War. I had to leave the babies in their car carriers while we checked the car for bomb wires, each time, before we started the car. It was very stressful hiding during anti-American matches, we had to be in lockdown and when the Chernobyl nuclear fall out cloud went over our house when I was pregnant.
I literally *HATE* the Mormon cult now.
I got married seven days after I turned 19, to the guy I helped guilt into a mission that he hated. We shouldn’t have been dating, let alone married. Two years of awful for both of us and I booted him out. He was remarried to another Molly Mormon in less than a year. I resigned from the church the week after made him leave.
I got married at 16 my husband was 19 we just celebrated 42 years together we both are born again Christian. I’m glad these two ladies found out the truth about Mormons lots of false teachings out there. Jesus is the answer !
@@lorettataylor9902 while I’m glad thst worked out for you that’s REALLLLLLLLYY rare for a teen especially when you were legally a child !
How cool for a lively and lovely family to wake up and smell the coffee together.
I agree with you that they are doubly lively!
@@mylesmarkson1686 lol, I edited one to “lovely” so good catch
@@DeathValleyDazed I agree with your edit as well, so you're welcome!
Heh, see what you did there.😆
I love how this family is even closer now that they are living their lives outside the church. The way that the married couple both came to decide on looking more into the truth of the church at the same time-what perfect synchronicity. Thank you so much for sharing this story, I wish the very best for everyone in their sphere!
De-conversion stories are always unique and compelling. This was a great interview with two, very articulate, funny women.
Her mission story reminds me of Ex mo Lex’s husband’s mission story. He went to S America too. He got really sick with a high fever then had serious mental health issues involving self harm. He was basically told sorry you’re stuck. At least he made it back.
Tal Bachman (songwriter and drummer) served in Argentina. He was ministering to native peoples in rural areas and living in bad living conditions. He made it back too. But they had to drink mosquito infested and polluted water, and experienced health problems and a corrupt government.
@@scottbrandon6244 I thought of Tal when the above poster made his comment. IIRD, Tal said that he and a companion had to sleep in a tree one night to avoid wild animals.
@@scottbrandon6244 yeah rural areas here are kind of a disaster. It's a huge problem the government doesn't solve
One unique attribute of these family interviews is learning greater context through the close relational dynamics, in addition to hearing the individual stories. I’d love to see your mom join in this call for a discussion on changes to identity of motherhood role/family expectations/etc since leaving. Your family is so smart and lovely!
I've always felt bad for children brought up in the church, but am also mindful that so often the parents were also brought up and indoctrinated in the same way. The way these lovely women represent themselves here speaks for itself. Big hugs to all three of you❤
I am so sorry you had to go through this, the diagnostic process is bad enough here! I absolutely loved what Colette said about love - we should love people no matter who they are. Seeing such a wonderful mother/daughter relationship was great too! Thank you for some smiles today!
I am still concerned about Kylee's back. Did she have surgery, was the problem with her disc's or was it caused by the shot she got? Back issues at such a young age are so concerning. Thanks to them both for sharing their stories.
This has been my favorite episode yet! Thank you all for being so open! The love and joy just radiates from all 3 of you!
Leaving the Mormon church is an upgrade to life.
For us as well. Thanks for your absence...you are not missed.
@@johnlee1352 Phonies like you are exactly why it's an upgrade.
Great way to say it! love this upgrade comment!
@@johnlee1352 We'd love to see your absence, but unfortunately you are bound and determined to troll until your dying day. We can't NOT miss you until you disappear for good John!
@@mylesmarkson1686 Just like the demise of the Mormon church, my absence is wished for and predicted for a long time...and like those predictions of the collapse of Mormonism, they are old, tired and are just nervous whistling past the graveyard. The Mormons are the only major faith group in the US to experience growth in the last decade. That's likely to piss you off, so I'll say goodbye for now.
Im so thankful for your husband being supportive, i think its wonderful that he was on the same page as you. When it comes to change, marriage can suffer and its wonderful yall were able to get through this as a family!
I'm a missionary kid with Youth With A Mission and I cant even imagine! Mission work is very difficult but not being fed and not having a translator and just going out not knowing what to say! Thats TERRIFYING!!! and shes 19! Like i went to Taiwan at 16 but I was taken good care of but i can't even imagine... And I can't believe they didn't send her back when she got sick...
I have never been this deep into a religion. I hope you didn't have permanent damage to your back. I retired as an orth/neuro/trauma nurse about 2 yrs ago. I def would have gone over everyone's head, called your parents and said, get her home. Back injections, chiropractic adjustments...I can't even. Best wishes and blessings to you.
I wanted to express my gratitude for all the strong women in your interviews. I am going through a very rough time and seeing these beautiful women with backbones of steel inspires me. In a nutshell, I have had excruciating pain from the age of 15. I am now 55. Without modern medicine I would not be alive right now. I am waiting on social Security disability. Seeing and hearing their stories lifts my spirit. Thank you!
Great interview. As someone who was a Mormon for just a few months, I really appreciated their stories. Because from these stories I know I was spared months, maybe even years, of running down a rabbit hole that may have taken me a long time to climb out of. Happy subscriber. Your interviews are so kind, respectful and very informative.
Thank you! Welcome to C2C! I’m so happy you got out sooner than later! Those rabbit holes are DEEP
I’m still not all the way through this video but I’ve to stop and say how beautiful this mother and daughter are. What a great mother. What a great daughter.
Good people.
Bless her heart the mom looks so much like Pink and is such a trooper ❤
I grew up Mormon and then started working in Law Enforcement and suddenly my shelf broke. The thing that broke my shelf, was the fact that someone who done horrible shit can get out of prison finish parole, then get babtized and all the bad shit they did is now gone and won't count against them.
Then you have a sex offender as the man who brought the world the true church I call bull shit.
Thank you for a great channel I look forward to your videos.
And this is partly why I hardly ever took my eyes off my kids during primary classes. I walled the halls, looking through the door to make sure they were okay every few minutes. I dreaded Sundays. And we were with them in nursery. I don't trust people when they haven't been background checked.
Ugh that is disturbing!
I grew up in the church. I was a TBM till age 50, and I started studying the life of Joseph Smith. My career was in law enforcement as a Correctional Officer, Sergeant, and Parole Officer. I remember noticing that accounts of brother Joseph had a lot of similar traits to a number of inmates and offenders I had worked with. He was very much a narsasist and not much empathy for others.
Your "shelf" was always on the floor. No testimony, no loyalty, no sense of redemption or forgiveness. Thanks for leaving so we didn't have to throw you out.
@@johnlee1352 I don’t know what happened that you are so mad at them. But one thing I know for sure is that you should be ashamed to call yourself a Mormon. Aren’t you supposed to love unconditionally? I think you should go repent real’ quick.
wonderful interview and glad they found greater happiness and authenticity outside of church
Don’t put a lemon on your ass 😂 because it won’t work. That’s awesome and I loved your entire story! I was in the church for 15 years as an adult. My shelf broke right about the time your family did. You go girl! Laugh as loud as you want now! Do you two watch Radio Free Mormon? Mormon Stories was my intro to the Rabbit Hole. Free at last. 😊 thank you for your story ❤
Excellent interview. I loved how thoughtful everyone was. And also the cruelty of authoritarian religions, the disregard for the well being of the members. I was in a religious cult for a couple years then I realized they wanted to be the army of God, not the peacemakers. Also the women were called handmaidens and the men were prophets. Therapy helped me realize that the voice judging me in my head was not God, but my own internalized critic. Bravo to everyone in this interview, best of life to you!
I can't imagine what that must feel like, to be taught shame like that and to be taught that it's the voice of god. I deal with some mental health issues and have struggled with intensely persistent negative thoughts...but I never had to deal with the people guiding me validating those harmful thoughts. That's such a cruel thing to purposefully inflict. I'm sorry you went through that but I'm glad you got out and have been able to recognize what those thoughts are.
I think people in general frequently view shame as a good motivator. But, really, shame mostly just wears you down and hurts you.
This is nauseating. Just sooo disturbing. My daughter just had 3 very young LDS missionaries visit her. So sweet girls. And too young and vulnerable yo be thrown into the world with NO support. God bless this young lady. So glad she’s ok.
The more mission stories I hear the more I'm reminded of the sea org!! They're deceived, and forced to go through horrible experiences, only for the "purpose" of trying to recruit more members and further enrich the organization. Makes me feel sick. I'm so glad there are so many whistle-blowers now, so more members can wake up and rebuild their lives.
Shelise may i say that you're an amazing light. I love your energy. I left the church 20 years ago and have been on an amazing journey ever since. I am currently a energy healer and spiritual guide in southern Utah, I am helping members transition out of Mormonism and it's truly amazing how they blossom when they are freed. Namaste
Aww thank you so much! I really appreciate that. Congrats on your healing journey and also your decision to heal others! My mom lives in St George! You should reach out on her IG @spiritofottertail
@@CultstoConsciousness you're welcome, I will look into contacting your mother. Namaste
I really enjoyed this episode! Keylee’s mission experience was wild! Keylee seems so sweet! I’m so happy for them that they are happy after leaving the church. It was eye opening for me when I left! I was able to see things from the outside.
This was such a heartwarming watch despite all the horrors this young woman went through… glad mother and daughter are still close ❤
Great interview, hope so many more families can find each other closer together outside the church in coming years and learn from such amazing examples
I'm happy that the mother gave her daughter information to look at and let her make the decision and even go forward to support her in what she wanted to do afterwards.
really enjoy your chats, being an ex Irish Catholic, I can see parallels, not on the same scale but never seen it as clear before. Many thanks. It is lovely to see how happy you all are.
"Accept everyone for who they are, stop judging just because they are different than you. Love is supposed to be unconditional, and if your love towards someone is based on conditions, well, then you don't love them at all." Well said, Collete.
My new favorite YouYube channel! You 3 are absolutely ADORABLE! Thank you so much for sharing this beautiful episode! There’s nothing better than going thru similar experiences and feeling completely validated! Lovvvve it!♥️
This is such an engaging interview. Every single question I had was immediately asked, it was crazy!
I absolutely love this interview! Such beautiful souls.
Love this! Keeley and her mom Colette seem like they are very happy now. So good to see!
Love the part of conditional love... if it's conditioned, it's not love at all. I had some conversations with people regarding being rejected for beliefs changing. When you realize that you and we are not their beliefs, but instead we hold beliefs. Some people haven't realize this yet and this can be a cause for them rejecting others.
That was an amazing episode! Thank you!
Thank you both for sharing your stories!
This was amazing to watch! I like how mom wondered about the blessings they were supposed to be getting, because her daughter was in a mission. Well I think they got the blessing the Lord had in store. The One true God pulled them out of the lie they lived for so long and He delivered them. I think that is amazing and I give God glory for that.
What beautiful, kind and genuine women. Thank you so much for sharing your stories. 😊
Thanks for watching!
If families and missionaries start suing the church, they might listen
Unfortunately the laws are all on the side of religion, so I doubt it'll work.
What a horrible story about the problem with your back.
Such terrible treatment you received.
You went through hell and
how inhuman your superiors were.
Good health to you
Oh my gosh, you all are so so brave, wise and wonderful. Thank you for sharing your story.
we need more of these.... ordinary people telling their Mormon story. This is where MS started but has moved away from. Looking forward to more of the original MS styled interviews.
There are thousands of stories of people who’ve left on Mormon Stories (CZcams) and as a podcast.
I adore this mother daughter pair. 🥰
Thank you for sharing your voices!
I want Keylee’s lemon saying on a T-shirt! Thank you so much you wonderful folks for sharing your perspectives and speaking your Truth.
Sounds like you and your husband are good for each other, both researching and coming to the conclusion to leave the church together. So amazing ❤️
They are an inspirational couple for sure!
This detail of the story is actually what I found most convincing. I believe God was showing them out together so they could love and support each other through their next chapter. The book of Galatians helped me to sort after leaving the SDA church and it might also be helpful for those leaving Mormonism.
I really hope this interview can be two parts, one is focused on Keeley's mission, the other is on her family's faith crisis. I just feel there is so much going on and cant get enough of it.
I’d like to hear the rest of Keylie’s health journey.
How can they both be her cousins? Wouldn’t the mom be her aunt?
@@lisalarouge6309olette might be her mum’s cousin, so then that’s her second cousin and her daughter would be her second cousin once removed. So it’s easier to just say cousins ☺️
Im so so happy for this family and their new found happiness.....
TOGETHER!
"This is sounding like the military" Except in the military they feed you at least.
You also get better medical care and can at least go to the VA if you are broken. The Church has no interest in your post-mission care.
Not to mention I had so much more freedom in the military than they are describing
And you don’t pay the military for the privilege of being there
I’ve heard that missions are WORSE than military boot camp! It’s almost like a voluntary kidnapping.
At 18:57. The $50 USD per month for food seems small but this is Argentina where food is cheaper than America. However I have known missionaries to get starved out by mission presidents in other parts of the world. The expectation is ward families will have the missionaries over for dinner or lunch at least five days a week. If you ever have the elders over you know they can eat a lot. I seem to think part of that is due to food deprivation from the off days they don't get fed. In many wards there are not that many I told these stories to my Mom who is not a church member. Whenever she saw missionaries while living in Thailand or other Asian countries she would offer to buy them a meal so they wouldn't be hungry. So whatever your take on the church is, good or bad, please feed those missionaries. They are somebody's son or daughter and are really just kids (aged 18-22 usually) and away from home most often for the first time. They would appreciate a home cooked meal or restaurant meal and any leftovers you can send them home with.
High demand religions and organizations. I really love that. It has taken decades to realize my family was part of a cult, but we didn't know because it wasn't religion based. Wow. Thank you!
I am impressed by honesty and humility of this couple (husband and wife). I imagie many people would carry on going to church without believing just for community, for many benefits of being a mormon in Utah, knowing all the important influential people amd so on. You decided to be honest with each other, kids and the church, which must have be really hard. Thank you for telling your story ❤
What a delightful interview! By the power bestowed upon me by myself, you are all blessed 💙💙💙😁😁
My daughter's godmother was married to a man who grew up Mormon in Canada. When he was in his late teens, he went on a mission somewhere in North America (can't remember if he was sent elsewhere in Canada or if he was sent to the USA. Pretty sure it was the USA, given what followed). On his mission, he got really sick and nearly died of pneumonia. He left the Mormon church shortly after he returned home, and the negligence showed to him by the church when he was on the verge of death was the final nail in the coffin.
All three of you are amazingly strong and beautiful people! I enjoyed your stories
Love the stories you're getting out here and Love the family moments you have with your Mom, Aunst and Cousin. Sending Love and hugs to yal all.
Absolutely love this story! What a powerful message of love and honesty within a family. I am currently going through my faith transition. This podcast is a wonderful resource to me, Thank you! Hearing other people's stories and realizing there is happiness outside of the church, warms my heart!
Is this a church or a cult? sounds like a cult
I remember this sister who was always sick. They were always giving her blessings, and one of the mission presidents would check her out down below (he was a gynecologist, but still seemed weird).
I have lots of other great stories too, if you ever need a guest, I’m there!!
The mission leader??? That's so gross, especially considering his position of authority over her 😬
Right? Perv
@@rebekahholt1348 eewww 🤢 that really is gross.
Loving this interview!!!!!!
I LOVE that the decision was made together as a couple... How beautiful.
This was so great!!
A great way to show your kids parents can make mistakes too. They also can learn new things!👍😁 & That you'll back them (your children) up in THEIR decisions as well. Good way to start discussions communications.
I so appreciate your show,
I have listened to about a dozen of your episodes now, Shelise. Most were eye opening and some were mind blowing for me. I'm so glad you're exposing these truths.
Thanks for watching!
This is such an interesting and wonderful conversation, but all I could think while watching is - wow, this is three people with really great teeth
😂😂😂 thank you!
You three woman vibe so well together ❤ lovely woman, with beautiful souls.
Thank you!! 😊
What a fun family! I love your cousin's smiles and admitting the mistakes made
Loved the warmth and celebration of humanity all three of you share in this video! This is a beautiful channel!🎉🎉🎉
Thank you so much!
I have come out of a high demand church I was born into. While it never really felt a natural fit for me, I stuck with it as it was a set family expectation. However, once I really started to question and did more research, I could no longer ‘unsee it’.
I can really relate to Colette’s unpacking of her faith. People from the church and my family can’t understand why I walked away.
I still have my Christian faith but I won’t follow a false prophet or earn my Salvation through the prophet’s works based directives.
It is not my place to correct them or change their beliefs. That is their journey.
I hear you Colette.
I have allowed my teen daughters to make their own decisions too.
I related so much to Colette’s deconstruction experience.
I’m glad to say after 50 years on this earth, I have finally found my authentic church community that allows me to focus on my faith and not what I’m expected to do.
And feeling like a normal person in society is priceless.
Feeling like you need to apologize for things said or unsaid is so real. The nonmembers who you could have been friends with but othered. The crushes you turned down because spending money before the mission is spending money on another man's wife. Telling people things about church history isn't real or not important but find out later they are. It's almost like the call to share is almost as equal and powerful as the call to serve.
"You can leave the church but you cannot not leave it alone". Truth shall set you free. Glad to see more peoples stories come out.
I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed this episode. Compared to some of the horror stories I’ve listened to which were experienced by other people the joy and love and complete openness of the family relationships was so beautiful. That’s not to imply that the experience on mission wasn’t absolutely horrendous. I’m just so happy for you all that you’re in a better place and living your lives with joy, happiness and self expression. ❤
I'm so glad you all was able to recover from this, recently I had missionary's come out asking me to go to church they are sweet girls but I see they do not get paid much they spoke how they had to work to earn trips for missions I went one Sunday they are asking me to join and third visit babtism starts I believed different way holiness to babtist , even catholic , church's I grew up in they had told me they would be out Tuesday today is Saturday they came by asked are you coming to church, my bible does not mention Mr Smith, God bless you both you and mom are strong and beautiful and church's I grew up in are nothing like that they even help feed church members and nice God bless you both enjoy your life
Can I just say that I’m so happy the parents in this story are such wholesome people and also great parents who respected their children and treated them in the best way (by not making their daughter just leave the thing right away and just guiding her through giving her sources to explore).
I love so much that they said “We don’t believe, but it is totally fine if you do, you’re our daughter and we love you.” Just so wholesome
Props to Kywii 's parents.
Left simultaneously and were easy on their daughter about remaining LDS
These two are just too cute!! Thank you for sharing your story.
My second time here. The title seemed interesting so I clicked but Keylee's story took a direction I could never have foreseen and Collette's story was the perfect compliment to it. The hour went by like 20 minutes. I've been watching some channels on people who have escaped from Scientology but I never realized that the LDS church was so similar in its oppression. The church's attitude toward Keylee's health problems appeared to border on being criminal. I'm no lawyer, that's just how it looked to me. Anyway, you did a perfect job, being timely with the right questions. Good show! :)
I’m so sorry for Keylee!! Your mission President was HORRIBLE😳🤯🤦🏻♀️🤬my lil sis went to the Philippines and her mission prez took the best care of everyone: anytime anyone was sick, they went straight to the doctors. Both of us left the church recently but my heart hurts so bad for the missionaries who are treated like dirt and we still try to feed/comfort them whenever.
Kaylee had a life journey, finding yourself is what life is all about. Now that’s a True Blessing.
By the way.. don’t give up on your former friends. They need you more than they realize.
Listening to her story brings back many memories for me as I went through a very similar story in the 90's. Many of her feelings, and comments I still feel to this day after 25+ years later. But my family stuck through it and are still members, me however, I left shortly after I returned home and never looked back. The sad thing is I never left the USA on my mission because I had health issues before I left and it was a requirement from my doctor. I am glad she took the good from the bad and opened her eyes. I commend her and her family.
Everyone in your family is so beautiful and stylish! ❤ So happy to see you all expressing and enjoying your true spirits.
Thank you so much!
When we were members the missionaries in our area knew they could use our house as a refuge. They took their breaks at our house,I let them nap. I fed them. Several have left the church after going home,getting married. Two of them called us and apologized for lying to us. Teaching the LDS church bull. I just said they were doing what they thought was right. We loved them for them. I’m still in touch with several of” our” girls. There were many times these girls were so sick and were expected to still be out. I remember there was remnants of a hurricane in our area of PA. They were expected to be out walking in neighborhoods! Unreal. We drove them to their destination. They had used their miles for the month with the mission car. There’s more,but not enough time to type it all.
Hi Janet! Wow that’s a lot. Thanks for sharing! And thank you for providing a safe space for them. ❤️