It does not escape me that when I bring things to light, regardless of how kindly I attempt to do it, some consider me to be the Devil’s little sister, at best, and his right hand (wo)man at worst… if not the devil himself. The way I am demonized behind the scenes — not only by main players — trickles back to me. I accept that as the price for truth. But my identity is not in human opinion.
That in mind, and recognizing how I stand to gain not one thing, to those of you who despise me so much, ponder this… What would compel a woman to return to the same bullpen for another round with the bull, knowing the bull is going to leave her torn to shreds? The, having considered that, do what you need to do. Say the things you need to say. Lie the things you need to lie. Cover up the things you need to cover up.
I will do what I need to do because I believe it is what my God wants me to do. I am not asking even one soul to agree with me. I am, however, asking God to show me one step at a time what to do. If I am delusional and not hearing Him, treat me like the sinner I am, and pray that God will save my soul. Because, until God makes it clear to me — not through buddies of the people I expose — that I am hearing wrong, I will do precisely what I believe He has asked of me. Precisely.
I will do it as gently as I know how, and forthrightly, because there is no other way. I will do it with a kind heart. Spoiler alert: exposing abuse and abusers, sexual or spiritual, and particularly those who are idolized, never feels kind to those wishing to hide abuse or protect abusers. It certainly does not feel kind to abusers. So, if that is you, without question you will be offended by me. I say, again, go do what you need to do. Say what you need to say. The vile things I’ve learned about myself in the past month or so accomplish two things:
Remind me that I am on the right track. People are NEVER vile towards someone who isn’t disrupting something ugly in them or their systems.
Made me more resilient and free to do what I need to do.
That in mind, I decided to post the 2018 fiasco, and accompanying documentation that I still had from forwarding to several godly men who offered to help bring reconciliation to my relationship with Steve. After reading it, each one bowed out. The only explanation I received, from one (representing a two people who had met with me) was that they are confident Steve will not hear them either. Another ‘friend’ offered to mediate. I took him up on it. He went out for breakfast with Steve. Steve whispered a few sweet nothings into his ears, and next he functioned more like Steve’s bouncer and/or sidekick, and next thing we know, he was invited to speak at an event mere weeks later. And I lost a ‘friend.’
While not in its entirety — because I don’t have it in me to go through the longer documentation, and some things would harm victims — here is much of what I shared with Anabaptist Sexual Abuse Awareness (ASAA). First and foremost, I aim to protect those already harmed. Victims gave me permission to share. I was able to reach all but one to request new permission.
It includes the behind the scenes delight of such an experience, complete with ASAA’s final letter, an apology from Kenny Kuhns that validated much of what I called out during the process. And my responses to ASAA, that I wrote at the time. Some I sent. Some I did not. If you are interested in getting inside my head, and why I was concerned already in 2018 — with very similar patterns as today — here is a lengthy document of screenshots, letters, confessions, and more, to dive into.
This is the bigger backstory to my ongoing concerns.
Attached is the PDF document. If you click on it, you should be able to scroll through and read it:
If, having read this, godly people — who care more for victims and the voiceless and the wellbeing of the church, than self preservation or protecting a buddy — can truly say this is godly behaviour and I should be able to overlook it here and accept it going forward, I would love to hear from you. In person. Give me solid biblical “this is the way Jesus lived and acted” evidence that I have it wrong, and I will try to learn a better way. So far, the people who have tried to sway me have not been able to do that. And, so far, they have all been buddies of those involved in this story.
In a future blog, I plan to look at some of the deception in recent public apologies. (One example is stating — in my own words — “I was accused of rape…” and adding “it is all false.” But he failed to disclose that it was not a stand-alone allegation of rape. oThe concern was directly linked to the crime of incest, which is true, by his own admission to me and (allegedly) someone else who reached out to me. Another source shared it with me some time earlier, but did not disclose what their source was. It would be better to stay silent than to deceive the public. Given there is evidence by his own admission that the crime of incest, to which the allegation of rape was linked, is indeed true. Whether it would legally meet the threshold of rape or not, would depend whether his disclosure to the person who contacted me was false or not. In that disclosure, he is alleged to have said, of several [redacted individuals] that he banged them every chance he got, and banged anything that held still long enough. He also is alleged to have said when [redacted individuals] no longer wanted to participate, he pressured them verbally. That, by any legal definition I know, is rape. “No means no.” To coerce or force beyond a ‘no’ is… .what, exactly? When I asked him if the allegations are true, intermingled with some name calling and demonizing, he stated — in no particular order: 1.) that he took care of it long ago 2.) that I am demented 3.) that it was not rape (however, he did not respond to the allegations regarding coercion and his ‘banging” statements) 4.)and it is none of my business. In the next breath he sated that he had already disclosed this publicly. So why is it such a big deal for me, or anyone concerned about the well-being of victims, to ask him about it?
It is right, reasonable and responsible to look at and shed light, because it is evidence of ongoing personal agenda, harm, and lack of repentance. It is not becoming of leaders who profess godliness and name the name of Jesus, to deceive the body of Christ. I, for one, will not sit by idly. My bible makes it very clear that it is not the answer. My bible calls us to action… To expose evil — and, yes, deception, harming the vulnerable, all of that is evil. The ‘church’ or religion that is ok with looking the other way is not my church. And it is not the Body of Christ.
Jesus made it very clear where He stand in relation to Pharisaical (aka hypocritical) leadership. If repeated, unrepentant deception, including deceptive apologies to appease the public and maintain control, does not fit that category, then I’m not certain what does. I have reached out to Steve privately and given him opportunity to engage in respectful dialogue. I have been called demented, been told my ‘mask for the serpent is slipping’ and more. Behind my back, he has called me a Jezebel and demon possessed. All for exposing hidden darkness. When I questioned him about some of the many allegations brought against him, rather than kindly state they are false (like his public confession said) he attacked and accused me. Meanwhile, behind the scenes, he made partial admissions to some of the things he stated publicly were absolutely false. These are the matters I will address, with screenshots.
While it can be hard to know what to do, even in the face of that uncertainty, there is either an inner repulsion or a passive disregard. It is the latter I speak against, not those who are distressed but have no where to turn.
If you have questions, visit our CONTACT PAGE and send an email, or comment publicly at the end of this blog post. I do not promise that I will respond to all questions, depending on volume. I will not respond to hate mail.
INTRODUCTION: Over the years, people have told me about a person who identifies as “Grace” on MennoNet, who has strong opinions about me. Today I was sent screenshots. When I mentioned to a friend that someone will be sending me screenshots of communication on MennoNet, saying “someone wrote something really nasty,” they immediately responded that it will be Grace, someone who constantly nitpicks about me. So I expected some horribly vile writing. Instead, what arrived is a fascinating mix of assumptions and lies. While I do not generally bother responding, I decided to awaken my blog, to respond to Grace, because methodical analysis with images throughout is not possible on FB. I will provide evidence (again) to back up allegations brought forward regarding Michael Beiler.
I will also analyze Grace’s post, because it is a perfect case study of how abuse is minimized, and perpetrators protected. Once you see it, it gets easier and easier to spot. There are countless double standards. Things that they do that they, in that same breath or text (falsely) condemn me for. I don’t take the words to heart. But I will certainly use them to teach others what to watch for when looking for truth/fact versus speculation and deception. I don’t know Grace. For all I know, it could be a man using ‘Grace’ — as in the grace we receive from God — to give the perception that they are female. In any case, this is not personal.
AN IMPORTANT DETAIL: • Michael Beiler would NOT pass a Pennsylvania background check if one was required of him. • He and his wife Darlene lost their foster license after allegations were brought against him in 2020 • One of the allegations against him has an indicated status (others I won’t speak to for good reason) • He wrote a letter of apology to one of his young victims: Steve King, a WOJ pastor saw and can attest to this letter
I will post various screenshots, and reference areas I have highlighted in colour, to make it easier to follow.
ON PROTECTING WOMEN AND CHILDREN: Let’s start with the preface that Grace believes women and children should be protected from abuse, including sexual abuse in paragraph one, highlighted in pink. To look more closely at how that plays out, jump to the tiny pink spot in paragraph 4, to substantiate what I am going to say next. Grace calls sex crimes from 20 to 30 years ago ‘mistakes’. How to keep women and children safe when simultaneously calling sex crimes against minors (or anyone, for that matter) a ‘mistake’? I would be very interested in hearing about that. Grace then goes on to say, in relation to sex crimes from 20-30: “and repented of.”
This communicates two things: 1. Crimes from the past can be ignored, simply because time has passed. Meanwhile, the victim carries scars for life . How does that protect the victims? 2.Crimes from the past can be ignored, simply because the person claims to have repented. Let’s use the Leroy R. Miller case as the example here. Yes, it was 20 to 30 years ago. Twenty-one, to be precise. Leroy professes to have ‘repented’ of the crimes he committed, but then proceeded to lie throughout years of ministry, stating things like “I had no victims” (The Word and Spirit Podcast: Life Story of Pastor Leroy Miller; 21 minutes to 23 minutes).
A victim is someone we harm. Leroy knew that he had called his victims over to his car. He knew that there were traumatized young girls because they had reported to the law! Note that the transcript from the official documentation, which can be viewed here, states girls… not women, and it states plural. This is supported by his own admission to law enforcement: “...that he had followed and asked to give rides to young Amish girls on four or five occasions […] he did ask them if they wanted a ride and that he did not have any pants on.”
Laying aside the fact that victims have the right to tell their stories, and the public does have the right to know when someone has committed crimes against children — or anyone, for that matter — let’s talk about repentance. What does that look like? Repentance looks like sorrow for sin and the harm we have caused. Not like ‘thank God I have no victims”. Not like blatant lies, even 21 years later. It does not look like spiritualizing the horrific things we have done that others have to bear the consequences for, for the rest of their lives. It looks like humility and brokenness for the harm caused to others.
MY ADVOCACY AGAINST CONSERVATIVE MENNONITE MEN: (Red underlined, in par. 2) Grace is close, but not accurate. I was in advocacy. I left that some years ago. But it was not against conservative Mennonite men. Yes, most of the cases that came to me were male perpetrators. Most that went public were CA men. But CA men was not my focus or that of our organization. By the time the case against Alice Lehman (Rockingham County, VA: CR23001101-00) happened, I was no longer working.
Prior to that, I had one case involving an adult female, which the victims did not want disclosed, and which I did not personally work beyond accompanying Steve Stutzman to one meeting, in which he confronted the perpetrator). I did cooperate with Federal Law Enforcement in one case where there was hard evidence that false allegations were made by a female. I assisted Federal law enforcement in clearing the accused. I never spoke publicly because I was advised not to. So that claim is blatantly false. My past advocacy was against all abuse, and for truth. If victims bring forward only or mostly male perpetrators, that is not something I can control.
VENDETTA AGAINST STEVE STUTZMAN Paragraph three, in peach, Grace alleges I have a vendetta against Steve. In 2018 when I called Steve out, I had first spent from January to May communicating behind the scenes. This includes involving a pastor as a mediator. The purpose of that communication was related to DD (a perpetrator I will not name) who admitted — both in writing and a legally obtained audio, made in the presence and home of the mediator — to sexually assaulting a young woman. Steve blatantly sided with the perpetrator of harm, and had not so much as reached out to the victim to ask if she was ok, in spite of the fact that DD used Steve’s ministry, Land of Promise, to access this victim, and others. (I reached out to the victim in recent weeks for permission to revisit these events). Only after I challenged Steve, months after the sexual assault, did he reach out to the victim’s one mentor to ask about her wellbeing.
This played out again when Steve defended Michael Kauffman as innocent. Here again, Steve sided with the abuser and declared his innocence. Behind the scenes, I was the one hearing their cries and trauma. Law enforcement already had him on record admitting to some of the sexual assaults, on a phone call, and Steve was still defending him and declaring him innocent. Michael Kauffman, who was eventually charged with 31 counts of sexual assault, including two types of rape.
This latest case, in which children named Michael Beiler as having violently sexually assaulted them, Steve is again siding with the alleged perpetrator. A man who had numerous previous allegations against him — of which I informed Steve. I made him aware that (at least some staff at) Way of Jesus Academy/Ministry, a Lancaster inner city mission has knowledge of other credible allegations, and believe the current allegations against Beiler. I urged him to revisit and reconsider his position in defence of Beiler, and speak to law enforcement on behalf of the victims in the current case.
Besides the details in the link at the beginning of the previous paragraph, Beiler wrote a letter of apology (post 2020 allegations) to one of his victims. This letter was confirmed, and seen by Steve King, the pastor at WOJ at the time of Beiler’s alleged crimes. By the time a letter of apology is written to a child (not to mention delivered by a child!) it would seem appropriate to remove the word ‘alleged’ but nonetheless, there it is. The especially critical detail here is that Beiler’s previous crimes were not disclosed to the parents, which allowed the crimes to continue. Those are simple facts. I have personally spoken with the individual who informed the mother of these two children of the previous crimes after her children’s allegations came forward.After learning of the allegations, the mother immediately moved her children out of the home.
When he heard of the allegations, by his own admission, Steve reached out to the accused. He never reached out to the victim or her children. After meeting with the accused, Steve determined him to be innocent and gathered 10 people to seek the Holy Spirit and discern whether Beiler is innocent or guilty. The 10 determined that the accused is innocent, and the outcome was assigned to Holy Spirit. This, in spite of numerous prior allegations. In spite of a letter of apology to one young victim. In spite of Beiler molesting a child not yet a teenager, and claiming to have mistaken her for his wife who is considerably more full figured than a pre-teen. Still, in spite of all this, Steve defends Beiler.
If calling that corruption out is a vendetta, then so be it. But it is not personal between me and Steve. Every single case I have called him out on has involved victims of sexual violence being neglected or blatantly worked against. Name it whatever you need to, but these children deserve to have someone fighting for them.
I stand to gain nothing but hatred. Which I will gladly do for the children.
ON BELIEVING THE ALLEGED VICTIM NO MATTER WHAT: Paragraph three, also in peach. As for the “…the alleged victim is to be believed, no matter what…” Grace makes a bold and blatantly false statement here. Grace has never asked me about this. While I believe that everyone who makes allegations should be heard and offered help, I also believe that when allegations are provably false, it does a great disservice to every true victim of sexual violence to not address that. Here, I refer back to the case of false allegations in which I helped Federal law enforcement bring a person to justice for provably false allegations. (Grace, if you happen to read this, feel free to reach out. I will gladly connect you with Federal officers — and their ___(dot)____@usdoj.gov email address — who can attest to my claims. They can also inform you that they have reached out for my help in another case earlier this year, related to a sex predator on the run, due to my investigative skills. That doesn’t happen by not looking at evidence).
Where there is no evidence for or against, the alleged perpetrator should still be reported and the alleged victim should be supported as they work through their trauma. Evidence in cases involving children is rare. Witnesses are more rare.
REGARDING STEVE STUTZMAN NOT BELIEVING THERE IS ENOUGH EVIDENCE: That’s an interesting statement. I have screenshots of Steve saying that he believes the children were sexually abused. I also have a screenshot of Steve saying “I am very sure it wasn’t Beiler.” And, finally, I have a screenshot of Steve saying that his information regarding the case comes from Beiler himself.
Tell me, a man who can’t tell a pre-teen child from his mature, curvy wife… How reliable is his information? A man with previous allegations that were not known to the individuals in the current allegations? A man who took little children to a cabin through deception and without other adults? What motivates anyone to believe him? Not to mention that Steve is not an investigator, or even a counselor, and has no formal training at all on the matter, to my awareness. Based on the accused’s version of events, and 10 people praying for divine revelation, he clears the accused and countless people rise up to defend them both?
ON CAREFULLY CHOSEN WORDS: Paragraph 4, green underline. My carefully chosen words? Yes. Absolutely. To the public I withhold graphic information. Sexual assault is commonly used, rather than rape, because it protects the vulnerable. Medical documentation in such cases tell the story to the court and the jury. Carefully choosing words beyond that is necessary. No apology there. The case of Gerald Champ did not land him in prison for life because the victims’ testimonies were not strong. Or because my evidence was not good. There is a reason the state of Texas paid several grand to get me into that courtroom. There is also a reason the defence lawyer did his darnedest to keep me off the stand.
POSTS LOOKING LIKE THEY ARE NOT BASED ON REALITY OR FACT: I highlighted this in green, in paragraph four… and now that I’m here to speak to it, I find myself with nothing to say. What even is that? Do we need photos? Medical records? In a case of violence against children, what do you look for to convince you?
ANY PERSON OR ORGANIZATION I CAN LINK TO ABUSE… (I WILL?… REALLY?) Paragraph 5, yellow. I have known for many years that Rene Rivera has done vile things to women, including in USA and in Guatemala. So much so, that a Pilgrim bishop asked me several years ago to expose him publicly. I warned several churches — including a bishop and his wife, semi-locally — that bishop has warned others. And guess who is still preaching across Canada and USA? Guess how many churches I have not exposed publicly or linked to sexual abuse? All of those.
My advice is not to speak on that which you do not know.
At most, I have put public between 100 to 200 cases in 15 years, if that. I have thousands of emails, texts and FB messages…. stories of trauma and victimization. If my agenda is as Grace states, then I have thousands of stories to start telling, from Honduras, to Bolivia, to Haiti, to Paraguay and Mexico, Guatemala, USA and Canada. I have perpetrators to expose in Christian Aid Ministries — at least one of whom travelled to Haiti to investigate allegations there related to Jeriah Mast. Yes, you read that right. A grown man who molested a child (already a grown man then) traveled to Haiti to help determine if allegation against Jeriah Mast were founded. Have I ever written about that before? No? Have I given you enough information to find that person? With the right connections, maybe.
If my goal was what Grace states, I would already have named that perpetrator, named his church, and told the story. I haven’t. And I’m still not going to.
Grace goes on to name organizations.
ON LINKING WAY OF JESUS ACADEMY, LANCASTER CHILDREN’S CHURCH & BETHESDA TO ABUSE: Paragraph five, in lavender. Let me break this down. In no way have I ‘linked’ these churches or organizations to abuse. Any link that exists was created by the perpetrator. Beyond that, I have a few thoughts.
1. Way of Jesus Academy: I have stated very little publicly, beyond: Michael was on their board; they removed him from said board in January 2021 due to the first allegations (and I commended them for this); and after a commenter *who had a family member at WOJ* respectfully stated that WOJ made a mistake in not notifying parents, I agreed. It was not my focus. Michael Beiler linked them to sexual abuse of minors. I commended them for removing him. They are not linked to abuse. They are linked to ridding their church of a predator. Kudos and hats off to them.
I also stated that I wish their leaders would do the right thing, even now, and speak to law enforcement on behalf of the abused children. I stand by that. It is an appeal. (I haven’t even named the leaders yet, or the amazing people who have helped with the case!)
(Grace, you are welcome to reach out and ask me questions before posting assumptions in the future, if truth is what you are interested in. I mean that most sincerely).
2. Lancaster Children’s Church: I have never before heard of them.
3. Bethesda: The leader and accused, Leroy Miller, was pastor at Bethesda. He did not commit his crimes there; he committed those in Indiana. He linked the church to his crimes by not disclosing the whole truth, stating blatant deceptions — at one point in the previously included testimony, declaring he did not involve anyone else. When, in reality, he followed women and children in his car, while wearing only a shirt, terrorizing them. In his testimony he states he has no victims and involved no one. On record at time of crimes he admitted to 4-5 counts of luring them into his car by offering rides. If I was at Bethesda, I would be grateful someone called such dishonesty into question.
The second link to Bethesda was created by Steve Sutzman, overseer at Bethesda. Possibly also Leroy, if he knew the allegations against Michael Beiler. Both allowed him to attend (if Leroy knew), in spite of an indicated status against him, in spite of not passing a state of Pennsylvania background check. And they did so without warning the congregation of Bethesda. Young parents messaged to say they had no idea of the allegations, and Beiler was part of the kitchen team even in recent weeks.
That link to Bethesda lands directly on the shoulders of three men; Steve Stutzman who knew, Leroy Miller who knew or should have known, and Michael Beiler. I accept no credit for that.
STEREOTYPE OF ALL LEADERS: For interest sake, I subjected my husband to me audibly listing, off the tip of my tongue, the names of every conservative Anabaptist (CA) pastor I could think of in short order. I included only those I personally know or have met. Without much thought I had a list of 60. Of those, there are 3 certain offenders of sex crimes *in adult life* — either through admission after confrontation or actual charges. A handful of others are credibly accused, but victims are afraid to speak and have forbidden disclosing their stories and/or statute of limitations is up and the victims came forward with no interest in going public.
I know many more CA pastors than the few on that short list. And I’ve heard of countless more. Of those I do not know, I often hear about them because of poor handling of abuse or allegations of abuse. But I don’t go looking for leaders to accuse.
That all said, allegations are surfacing as a result of the recent exposures, including everything from leaders (board members, pastors etc) involved in strip clubs, severe incest, massage parlours involving minors, and more. Therefore, I am willing to keep an open mind, and consider that the rates of sexual predation are extremely high where birds of a feather flock together.
FAREWELL & FURTHER COMMUNCATION: I am contemplating another blog in response to one of the replies to this post, which is also has interesting statements. This one has gotten too long. And I am fresh out of energy. We will see….
Grace, if ever you are free for coffee, I would welcome sitting with you, while you question me. And that goes for any reader. I am not afraid to be questioned. Question me about my childhood, my teen years, my sins or those committed against me. My faith… whatever you have questions about. I am very approachable.
I have stopped responding to too many FB DMs because of ongoing vision issues and difficulty reading. However, I do welcome conversations and questions, in person.
Generally, I no longer write, and definitely don’t do blogs, due to severe issues with my left hand and arm when doing so, and consequences I suffer for sitting. But today, I am resurfacing to do an update on Jeriah Mast’s crimes in Haiti.
On December 2, 2025, Jeriah Mast was charged on four counts of engaging in illicit sexual conduct with minors. (Read the article here: Ohio Missionary Indicted for Child Exploitation Crimes in Haiti) The question many have is, why only four? The answer is simple. Christian Aid Ministries – and God forbid we call it what it is and say they “paid off the victims in exchange for silence” – paid victims. Whatever justification or excuse for offering those funds, it effectively silenced most victims. Let me say this, I will thank God for the four. And I will celebrate Mast’s arrest.
In the past I have been accused of ‘finding joy when one more Mennonite man is arrested.’ If that is how you read that last sentence in the first paragraph, let me break it down in simplest of terms.
I. Thank. God. When. Any. Predator. Is. Brought. To. Justice.
I do not care if religious or other. I do not care if male or female. I do not care if Mennonite, Amish, Catholic, Protestant, atheist, gay, straight, political, advocate, or any other affiliation or lack thereof.
I never celebrate that there are predators. I have never thrilled at exposing them because of their culture. But, in any culture, I will always celebrate when truth is brought to light and when children are protected.
I thank God because one child, somewhere, or maybe a 100 or more, will not be abused by that predator. At least not while they are locked up. Because most reoffend when they are released.
Today, years after flying to Haiti in June of 2019 – which I did because there were signs of extreme coverup by Christian Aid Ministries – today, I thank God that Jeriah Mast will face the law for what he did to at least four of the countless children he is alleged to have harmed.
I will never forget being told, in semi-whispers, about Mast’s alleged crimes in Haiti. The individual who told me about it knew I was an advocate who would not be silent, and did not tell me his name, or any information to easily find him. What they did not account for, was my uncanny ability to piece things together, and in a child sex assault case with current minors, you better believe I gave all I had, regardless of relational fallout.
I had no name. Not a first name. Not a last name. I only had several tiny snippets of information. He had worked for Christian Aid Ministries for years. He was conservative Anabaptist. I was quite sure I knew what state he was from. And I knew some basic family ties of in-laws, though not many names. With that I sat down at the computer and began digging. There was no way that any person – especially religious – would go abroad and harm children without being brought face to face with the law, if I could help it. Not on my watch. I found his name after much sleuthing. And somehow I knew.
I messaged the individual who spoke with me about a couple fleeing Haiti because of allegations that he had done terrible things. Do you know Jeriah Mast? I asked. And that was the beginning of the end. They were shocked that I had found him. From there, I told them I would give Christian Aid Ministries several weeks to do the right thing. If they chose not to report, or chose to cover in any way, I would personally go to Haiti and look into the allegations. (To this day, I have recorded testimony of 9 victims that I sent to an FBI liaison). It was one of the most tragic things, to see these young lives devastated by a man who professed to represent God, on the one hand, and destroyed lives in God’s name on the other hand, even praying with his victims.
Upon my return, I wrote a thorough blog, exposing what was being hidden. I reached out to countless Ohio news stations and papers. Most ignored me. I reached out to law enforcement at federal and local levels, as several others also did.
For some years it looked as though he got away with it. I knew Homeland Security was working on it, but with victims paid off, it looked impossible for truth to of his wickedness to be exposed.
So, yes, today I celebrate that the truth is brought to light. I celebrate that one child, or many, somewhere in time, will be spared because he has no access to them. I do not celebrate that such predators exist. I do not celebrate that they are among my people – the Mennonites. But, yes, I do celebrate that it is no longer hidden, and that it will hopefully spare other children from harm.
In a quote from the article linked above, the law states what the religious community doesn’t seem to grasp, in spite of Jesus’ words in Matthew 18 about harming children. “Crimes against children, like those mentioned in these allegations, are reprehensible. Such appalling and morally corrupt behavior will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” said U.S. Attorney David M. Toepfer for the Northern District of Ohio. “We commend the work of Homeland Security Investigations and the Holmes County Sheriff’s Office, whose thorough work led to these federal charges being filed today.”
We, the people of God, should be saying this, loud and clear. The state should not need to say it for us. We should be helping them deal with this corruption, not hiding them among us. Not being more concerned for the predators’ protection from the law, than the children’s protection from the predators.
The cry for mercy on Jeriah Mast’s behalf is strong among those who wish to see him off the hook. In my opinion, whatever mercy Jeriah Mast needs is between him and God. I will let the Highest Power in the universe work those things out with him, spiritually.
The duty of adults in this life is to protect children and the vulnerable, not cry for mercy for someone who so vilely misrepresented God on the ‘mission’ field that those children may struggle for life to even grasp any kind of loving God.
Shame on us, if the children are forgotten and the predators’ names are whispered in our prayers, through tears. God’s place among has long been replaced, if that is what ‘church’ and religion have become.
Because Jesus sits with the bleeding children. He does not have a place to sit in a religious community like that.
Remember the children. Remember Haiti. Remember Jesus.
And, dear God, bring this wickedness in Your name to an end! Expose every single one. Bring down the systems that cover, harbour and perpetuate this evil. Oftentimes because their high places have their own hidden wickedness.
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