Jump to content
IGNORED

Answers in Genesis employee reveals all


Nolongeroppressed8.4

Recommended Posts

Saw this on FB:

 

To those who know me and love me,

 

An open letter on the harm that I received since 2015 from Answers in Genesis and other entities, having biblically attempted to resolve what happened to me by following both Matthew 18 and any protocols necessary for proper reconciliation.

 

My purpose in writing this is that SILENCE PROLONGS ABUSE, and I can no longer be silent. “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” - Edmund Burke

 

Before I continue to say what happened, I will emphasize how I’ve attempted to biblically address Answers in Genesis:

 

During my time at AiG, I worked as hard as possible so that when the time came for me to speak, I would have proven my diligence and willingness to work in whatever way was needed. I originally believed that Ken Ham DID NOT know the toxic nature of AiG, but during my employment I discovered that the toxic culture of AiG goes all the way to Ken, and there is no intention of changing the burnout and bullying culture that is AiG - Ken is in fact an active part of it. After leaving AiG, I had the opportunity to speak to some board members about the state of AiG, and I did so in an objective manner that identified the necessary changes from a business standpoint, without bringing my individual pain into it. Greater and more knowledgeable people than myself have also made attempts to voice the same concerns at AiG, and suddenly left under mysterious circumstances. Quite some time has passed, and I know for a fact that nothing has changed. Google “answers in genesis workplace reviews” or talk to people still employed there, asking for an honest answer and not just “it’s great”. 

 

Herein begins a summary of my life since 2015. 

 

In 2015 I moved away from Northern Michigan to work at the Christian organization Answers in Genesis. During my nearly 2.25 years of employment, I worked in or with every single existing department, starting in Guest Services as Museum Host and over 9 months becoming competent in all five departments associated with that position, then moving to Point of Sale for 8 months (during which time the Ark was opened), then moving to Human Resources for 11 months. 

 

During my time there I witnessed rank partiality and favoritism, nepotism, inconsistent or non-existent communication, bullying, and spiritual abuse - as in, guilt is used as a motivator because AiG is “doing the Lord’s work, and who are you to stand in the way of that?” When people proactively try to speak up to change the culture and pace for the better, staff meetings emphasizing “submission to authority” ensue or, in some cases, people are pushed/bullied out of the organization. 

 

Lest you say “that’s just businesses everywhere these days”, AiG has set itself up as a pillar of Christianity, and as such, is held to a higher standard. It claims to stand on the authority of God’s Word, yet the leadership fails to treat people with basic Christian values, unless you are part of the echo chamber. If you conform to AiG, then you probably really enjoy your job besides the workload. The leadership lacks accountability and abuses its authority, effectively making said echo chamber. 

 

Ken has built his legacy on the bones of employees he has knowingly driven into the ground. If you were to make an illustration of it, it would look similar to Dan Lietha’s “Garden of Eden on Skeletons” cartoon.  

 

AiG overextends itself in every department, or attempts to do so unless lower management staunchly holds back the higher-ups’ demands, yet AiG is chronically short-staffed, leading to people sacrificing a work-life balance while being paid ministry pay, notoriously much lower than the value of equivalent jobs in other companies. People need either time or money in return for employment, and those who come to AiG knowing they will be on lower pay are usually under such high work expectations that many continue to work while scheduled to be off (e.g. weekends, holidays) or on vacation, instead of focusing on their families or regular lives. The turnover rate is astronomical, which they really can’t afford considering that people who agree with their statement of faith are already a niche group. It’s also an expectation to immediately respond to anything considered “urgent”, often forcing people to prioritize AiG over the needs of the employee, their family, and/or their church. AiG lauds itself as a family-oriented organization, yet that doesn’t seem to apply to those actually employed by AiG, especially those working at the Attractions who are required to work Sundays - which is an issue in itself. If AiG truly trusts God to bring people to salvation, there should be no reason for AiG to be open on Sundays, which would allow the employees to rest and be strengthened by their communities and families, and be active in their churches.

 

Ken Ham wrote a book “Already Gone” about young people leaving the churches, but the irony is, HE is the reason his employees are already gone from their own churches.

 

The “work of the Lord” has become greater than the Lord of the work. 

 

My first role, beginning in August 2015, was as a Museum Host which worked in five departments - Guest Services (including Admissions, working the ticketing counter), Petting Zoo, Housekeeping, Retail, and Food Services. I learned each department quickly and was flexible enough to work in any one of them. My capability led to me being asked to serve as Temporary Floor Coordinator over the entire Creation Museum Guest Services on two separate occasions, even though other people had worked there longer and knew more than I. It was while working as a Museum Host that I began to identify the organizational silos, bullying, mismanagement and partiality.

 

The second department in which I worked, Point of Sale (POS) was created only months before the Ark opened, and it consisted of only three people including myself who, during the 40 Days & 40 Nights extended hours when the Ark first opened, needed to cover a 12 hour day at the Museum and an 18 hour day at the Ark. We were working roughly 65-80 hours a week, on salary. The artists and fabricators, among many others, were required to work those kinds of hours for weeks and months longer than we were, so it was a lot of salary abuse. 

 

The obvious question is, why does anyone stay? 

 

Because you love your team, and you have hope that things will change, and you believe in the mission of AiG, and some opportunities are genuinely really cool. So you tough it out another day, which becomes a week, which becomes months and years. This also means that many ex-employees who have been hurt and/or burned out by AiG remain silent out of respect for what AiG produces, and/or out of fear of appearing to have “sour grapes”. There is also a fear that they will be thrown under the bus, like AiG did to the young man in the Oklahoma University incident. 

 

It’s more important that AiG maintain its facade than value people in a godly manner. Unfortunately, AiG is not interested in changing.

 

The first seventeen months in Kentucky, I lived with a woman who turned out to be emotionally abusive, and I don’t say that lightly. She was passive aggressive, controlling, manipulative, critical, and unkind, except when it pleased her not to be, like when company came over, or we were at church. She verbally tore me down and also put down and criticized my family, but then would put money in the last entries in my journal (which means she was reading it). There’s a subtle method of abuse called “gaslighting” where a controlling person constantly invalidates the other person, saying “you didn’t say that/do that” “you didn’t understand me” “I didn’t mean it, you took it wrong” sort of things, which creates mind games in order to keep the other person confused and “controlled”. I was constantly walking on eggshells because I didn’t know whether to expect niceness or her to go off on me. She justified her behavior by saying “you have to submit to me because when you’re married you’ll have to submit to a husband this way.” Not only is that scripture taken out of context, but more importantly husbands are commanded to love their wives as Christ loved the Church - Jesus DIED for the Church - and didn’t use His authority to abuse or control or manipulate. 

 

I went through two separate rounds of Biblical counseling in order to step away from the damage that was done by her and another entity I’ll mention in a moment, and I tried to talk to her many times about what she did, but to no avail. This includes a few months ago reaching out to one of my biblical counselors to see if I had to try to reconcile any more, since that woman I had lived with is currently the head of children’s ministry at Grace Fellowship Church in Union, KY. I didn’t receive a conclusive response. 

 

Because of her, and the long hours at work, in 2016 I began sleeping in my SUV at the Ark property, or spending the night in the Creation Museum basement (the now-demolished Last Adam theater), or sleeping at a friend’s house near work. Due to the long hours and lack of finances (salary, no overtime pay) I was unable to look for new housing nor could I have afforded the usual down payment required for an apartment. Also, NKY is known for drug and sex trafficking so I didn’t find it wise to grocery shop in the wee morning hours while exhausted, since I would get off at midnight or later. I couldn’t ask friends for help because they were almost as burnt out as I was, since they too were participating in 40 Days/40 Nights.

 

Also, being new to the area, I had attended Truth Community Church in Milford, OH, on the word of acquaintances at work. It turned out later that Tcomm (as it’s known) is actually considered a cult because of how it treats people. Not knowing this at the time, I accepted it at face value and began listening to discern whether I would remain there. The pastor’s family invited me into their lives, and the oldest daughter seemed to befriend me. However, when it became clear that I differed theologically (having just stepped away from my hometown and family, I was officially figuring out what I believed and making my faith my own) they began to push me out of the church. I thought the oldest daughter was genuinely my friend, so I took her out for coffee to ask what was wrong. She told me that she believed I was a manipulative, divisive, grace abusing liar. To say I was deeply hurt is putting it mildly. It turned out she was partly motivated by jealousy since she wanted the man I was dating at the time.

 

I left that church to attend another one, but during 40 Days/40 Nights we had to be at work often before noon, leaving very little time for church on Sundays, and Tcomm was consistently expository so I attempted to go there during those strenuous weeks/months. I gave the benefit of the doubt that the pastor’s daughter was acting out of jealousy and that her behavior was not condoned by her parents, so I asked to speak to them (since the daughter had now publicly shunned me). I met with the pastor’s wife at the Chipotle on Mall Rd, where she proceeded to treat me as an already-condemned criminal, not interested in my side of the story. They had conflated such things as me saying “I hate purple” and then wearing a purple shirtdress, as me lying. Those were the kind of claims against me. The pastor’s wife told me the elders would “come to a decision” about me. After the meeting I wanted to throw up because of the lack of kindness and empathy. This is while living with the abusive woman, being horribly homesick, being quite hungry most of the time from overwork, and working 65-80 hours a week.

 

My family back in Michigan, whom I’m very close with, was in the middle of an intense season wrapping up building some houses, so it was difficult for me to communicate what was going on. I was incredibly homesick but if I had left during 40 Days/40 Nights and the period of time directly afterward, the already insane workload would’ve increased exponentially on my two coworkers. I wanted to “get through the worst of it” to support them. Unfortunately at AiG, “the worst of it” is often just a small step up from what is considered “normal”, putting constant intense pressure on employees year-round, leaving no margin for emergencies or truly urgent seasons.

 

I continued to do my best to follow Matthew 18 in regards to Truth Community Church, so I met with the pastor and one of the elders of Tcomm at the end of July ‘16. They told me the elders had found me “untrustworthy”, and when I asked why, they said it was “private elder business” and wouldn’t tell me. If I had indeed committed some sin, it would’ve been their prerogative as Christian leaders to not only scripturally point it out, but also walk with me through it or provide counseling since I had a willing heart to learn and grow. Instead, I was not allowed to attend any events put on by Tcomm, nor step foot on the property. Side note - churches are public places of worship, they don’t actually have a right to treat non-members that way. One of the elders stood up for me and was forced to leave and lie about why they had to go - saying it was for “family reasons”. I warned some of my friends about the true nature of the church, but they believed the lies about me told by leadership, and deserted me. 

 

Two years later, some of those ex-friends realized I was right and apologized to me. A pastor in the Ohio area found out what happened to me, found out that Tcomm has actually treated MULTIPLE people and families in the same manner as they did me, and spoke to one of the Tcomm elders about it - but he blew it off as “private elder business, you don’t understand all the details.” So Tcomm continues in unrepentant sin, abusing their leadership and role as shepherds.

 

It was during this time of overwork, exhaustion, spiritual and emotional emptiness, and hunger from not having sufficient time to provide for myself, that one night as I sat on the 3rd deck of the Ark completely alone (the shifts went to midnight or later, after all) that I realized that my family was so busy; my coworkers and I stretched so thin we rarely saw each other; I was sleeping in my car or at work because I hated going to the house where I lived; that I realized I could have walked off the top of the Ark and my absence would not have been noticed for days. I didn’t “want it all to end”, I just was so tired and empty in every way that I simply wanted to fade away and be with Jesus. Jesus knew me and loved me, I was wanted by Him even if no one else wanted me, He valued me even if AiG or Tcomm or some of my friends didn’t. I prayed through that and kept moving forward, but that was the deepest moment of my depression, and I was unable to fully continue healing from all of these things until now, here in New Zealand, nearly three years later.

 

I write that because those who know me, know that I’m a consistently joyful person, so for me to reach that point of depression shows the severity of what was happening.

 

In December of 2016 I fully realized beyond doubt that the woman I lived with was emotionally abusive, and I prayed for the opportunity to leave. I began packing the day she left to go to Florida for two weeks over Christmas, and on Christmas Eve God provided housing for me. Within a week I moved, and I was completely gone from her house within an hour before she walked through the door from her return flight. 

 

During the next eleven months I learned Human Resources from the ground up while also trying to recover from all of the above, while still facing ex-friends/coworkers who thought I was a liar and treated me as such, and people who were bullying me both at work and outside of work. I began going through biblical counseling at this time because I know that Jesus Christ gives the ability to overcome ALL of these things. It’s a process, but it’s possible. Anyone who sees my life and reads my instagram or Facebook posts can see that I have tried to live victoriously through all of this. At this time I was also ministering to people walking through their own grief by taking them canoeing or teaching them art (metalworking/jewelrymaking), and trying to encourage AiG staff with departmental ice cream sandwich days paid for out of my own pocket.

 

I was excited for Human Resources because I knew 85-90 percent of 1,000 employees by name, usually knowing their job, department, and some interesting fact about them as well. Because I had been “in the trenches” during the opening of the Ark, people trusted me. I purposely tried to give people time and attention, and listen to them because there’s a massive deficit of that at AiG. I also refused to show partiality - Attractions staff (Creation Museum, Ark Encounter) are the grassroots of AiG, but are often considered lowest priority and have the fewest “perks”, the most difficult hours, and often the most stressful jobs dealing with guests, weather, animals, and/or the ups and downs of food service. If they call in sick, they know their coworkers will have to bear their part of the already heavy load, so people often didn’t call in sick even when they should have. I hoped that by “paying my dues” and accumulating as much knowledge as I could, I could possibly help the employees and take the pressure off those intense situations through eventual organizational changes. 

 

In the spring and fall, before kids are out of school and able to work, there’s a big “crunch time” when the Ark and Museum have a large upswing in guests, and because of already being shortstaffed, office employees are pulled from the back to serve at peak times like the first few hours in the morning and lunchtime when employees need to be relieved to go eat. Because I was competent in the five Museum Host departments (housekeeping, food services, petting zoo, retail, guest services) Ken Ham had specifically told the managers that I was eligible to be pulled from my HR job to work in any of those departments. Because of the overwork during 40 Days/40 Nights, I put specific boundaries in place.

 

My stipulations were: The department wanting me to work would have to email my manager and myself 24 hours in advance; I would have to see if my schedule accommodated it; and I had the ability to say yes or no. This protected me from trying to put too much in my day or overpromising, and it also allowed me to have the right clothes or preparation etc since each department had different requirements. 

 

What follows is an extremely personal example of the lack of employee value. I share it because if I had been a seasonal employee instead of Human Resources, the incident would most likely have been completely unnoticed:

 

In September 2017, I was going to help with an indoor air-conditioned workshop at 10 am. I was wearing clothes appropriate for the cold offices, and I was scheduled to be done at noon. When I got to work one of my coworkers told me that Ken had “thrown a fit this morning because not all the food venues were open“ (due to being short-staffed), so I was being sent out to run the lemonade stand at the Museum. (I’d been popular out there previously because I’d been singing and friendly and did a good job - I’d even received a note about it). 

 

Being told to go to the lemonade stand did NOT honor my 24 hour rule which protected me. I was not dressed for outdoors, and I didn’t have the right clothes with me either. That day was one of the hottest it had been all year, and there had been multiple weather alerts because the heat index was so high that the elderly and pets were cautioned to stay indoors. The job required me to stand on asphalt in almost direct sun from 10 am to 2 pm. Not only that, I usually ate double or triple breakfasts before I worked in food services because I was constantly hungry, in part because I hadn’t recovered my health from the stress of 40 Day/40 Nights. I told my coworker all those things, and asked if I ABSOLUTELY had to switch to the lemonade stand. She said she went to ask the Museum Director and he said yes, Ella has to be at the lemonade stand. 

 

I submitted to that. I went out there, in clothes that were too hot, without the proper amount of food that I usually eat, to fill the role just like a seasonal employee would - I didn’t “pull rank”. It was not going to end well. I looked my coworker in the eyes and said all of those things to her. 

 

Standing on asphalt at the lemonade stand in the sun, while serving guests, while also troubleshooting my point of sale station (turns out the heat had fried the receipt printer, if I remember correctly) all took its toll. At 1:30 I radio’d to ask if I could be relieved for lunch, but I could hear the busyness in the background as the cafe staff member asked me if I could wait. I knew they wouldn’t have asked me if they didn’t really need me to, so I waited. I had been constantly drinking water trying to stop overheating, and because I was so hot I was becoming discombobulated, while not knowing that drinking that much water on an empty stomach causes nausea. 

 

I was finally relieved and proceeded to be extremely sick, both hot and cold at once and trying to cool down and warm up from my body going into shock, but I couldn’t throw up because I had nothing to throw up. I tried to get to my office where I could essentially “break down” in peace without bothering anyone, but right at my office door I ran into Ken Ham, Mark Looy, Officer Joe Niemeyer (edit: lest he be lumped in with those who hurt me, Officer Joe was not responsible in any way for the harm against me), and some others. Ken and Mark attempted to joke with me but I was crying, so they asked what was wrong. I told them I’d been scheduled for an indoor workshop but had been told to work in the heat out at the lemonade stand, and now I was going to be sick. 

 

So if anyone doubts whether Ken knows the consequences of his arbitrary decisions, he does. 

 

This was the absolute worst case scenario for me, because at that time I had been working with one of my mentors to develop a powerpoint to pitch to administration about handling and preventing the burnout culture I saw everywhere (and was a danger of becoming a casualty myself), and I was hoping to use my experience to make a solid presentation. Having a physical breakdown (no matter how justified) was the LAST thing I wanted to do. However, it showed me that they are fully aware of what’s going on, and they make no efforts to change.

 

Soon after that, my manager and I met to discuss me transferring to a different department since I was becoming miserable in HR from both the way it allowed treatment of employees and the type of work involved, even though I was giving 150% effort. However, the department I was most qualified for was closed to me because of nepotism, bullying, and illegal discrimination because I’m a woman (later, another woman was also denied an interview for that department simply on the basis of being a woman). It was at this time that the bullying I’d already been receiving escalated, both at work and outside of work. 

 

In November ‘17 we had the staff Christmas Party put on by HR, and since I’m naturally an event organizer, it was the most fun I’d had in months, even though I was showing signs of burnout. I was also worried because I had to choose a department to transfer into by the end of November, but I knew that the best department for me was closed to me, so I didn’t know what I was going to do. 

 

I needn’t have worried. The morning after the Christmas Party, I received news that one of my younger sisters was suddenly diagnosed with thyroid cancer, so I moved home as soon as possible. When I got home, my body crashed from all the stress and trauma finally catching up to me, and I’ve been on and off bedrest for 18 months now, even here in New Zealand. If you’ve seen me cheerfully living my life out and about, it’s been between long days in bed doing nothing, sometimes with blindness migraines completely incapacitating me. 

 

I apologize if my words come across harshly. I’m not angry or bitter, and I’m happy to be out of that situation and finally healing. I’m simply telling the truth, and it’s the unfortunate hard truth. I haven’t wanted to write any of this, and have held off for a long time, yet there are many people like me who walk in silence and undeserved shame, burdened by how they’ve been hurt, and unable to speak about it so that they can truly heal.

 

SILENCE PROLONGS ABUSE. AiG and Truth Community Church have been approached in the biblical manner by more knowledgeable and wiser people than me about what they’re doing, and haven’t changed. It’s sin, and I’m calling it for what it is. 

 

Thank you to all of you who have loved me with sincere hearts during the last nearly four years, giving time and love and kindness when I needed it most. Thank you for patience and understanding and gentleness, especially to those who’ve helped me verbally process this crud in order to get through it. And given hugs. Your love overwhelms me. The small miracles of joy and love that God has granted during the last four years are a story unto itself, as this excerpt is only ⅓ of all that’s happened.

  • Upvote 3
  • WTF 3
  • Thank You 27
  • Love 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Huh.  More fundamentalist christians who treat those beneath them like crap and apparently without a shred of the compassion Jesus showed.

Quelle surprise.  NOT.

Edited by danvillebelle
  • Upvote 18
  • I Agree 7
  • Love 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The people who treated me the worst were the women who taught “submit to your husbands! Hail to all the men!!” the loudest. Put me in the “not a bit surprised,” category. 

  • Upvote 11
  • I Agree 3
  • Love 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Edited: this sounds harsh... I don’t mean to be harsh to the girl. She tried to do all these biblical things she was taught - many ‘Christian leaders’ don’t try to follow those standards in business or even in the church... I’m harsh on rigid legalistic religion not this poor girl who went through all this. Had she had more worldly experience or less religious stress maybe it would be easier to just decide not to work at a place like that and move on is what I meant to say. I guess I need more coffee or something g!

I mean this girl tied herself up

in way too many knots. Quit the stupid ark, get a job at Walmart earn enough money for a bus ticket home. Religion screws with peoples minds and hearts.

Edited by EyesOpen
  • Upvote 17
Link to comment
Share on other sites

15 minutes ago, EyesOpen said:

Edited: this sounds harsh... I don’t mean to be harsh to the girl. She tried to do all these biblical things she was taught - many ‘Christian leaders’ don’t try to follow those standards in business or even in the church... I’m harsh on rigid legalistic religion not this poor girl who went through all this. Had she had more worldly experience or less religious stress maybe it would be easier to just decide not to work at a place like that and move on is what I meant to say. I guess I need more coffee or something g!

I mean this girl tied herself up

in way too many knots. Quit the stupid ark, get a job at Walmart earn enough money for a bus ticket home. Religion screws with peoples minds and hearts.

Yeah I think that’s basically what she was saying. When religion is tied so heavily in to your work, money, time, and social life, it can cause a lot of problems. If she had worked at Walmart, she would have easily quit. But since she was “working for the lord,” she didn’t feel like she could just up and quit. 

  • Upvote 15
  • I Agree 9
  • Thank You 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

You know, the bible has quite a bit to say about those who treat their workers poorly. I guess those parts aren't meant to be taken as literally as the parts about putting every animal in the world on a big boat.

  • Upvote 15
  • Thank You 1
  • Love 12
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Why is she in New Zealand? Who is this person? I look at this sort of thing carefully and cynically. Someone who seems to have had trouble with everyone in her life makes me highly suspicious.

  • Upvote 7
  • I Agree 2
  • Love 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

33 minutes ago, nelliebelle1197 said:

Why is she in New Zealand? Who is this person? I look at this sort of thing carefully and cynically. Someone who seems to have had trouble with everyone in her life makes me highly suspicious.

Sounds to me like she was originally from New Zealand (??) and finally went back home, after making working for AIG her "life's mission" previously. Also - She talks about working at AIG (Ark Encounter-Williamstown, KY, and Creation Museum-Hebron, KY) and choosing to attend church in Milford, OH.  About 60-plus miles, one-way trip. Why? Sounds like she was looking for a Christianity that she was never going to find.

Also, her story is way too long, way too lost in extraneous, unnecessary details. The significant parts could have been told in about 5% of the length.

  • Upvote 10
  • I Agree 3
  • Love 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

46 minutes ago, nelliebelle1197 said:

Why is she in New Zealand? Who is this person? I look at this sort of thing carefully and cynically. Someone who seems to have had trouble with everyone in her life makes me highly suspicious.

Agreed, however: the similarities are remarkable between this story and those of Scientology survivors. Overwork, underpayment, cultures of suspicion, paranoia & fear.

She says she left her family’s home in northern. Michigan. 

Story well dove, IMO, but I would much prefer more info.  

  • Upvote 7
  • I Agree 2
  • Love 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

19 minutes ago, apple1 said:

Sounds to me like she was originally from New Zealand (??) and finally went back home, after making working for AIG her "life's mission" previously. Also - She talks about working at AIG (Ark Encounter-Williamstown, KY, and Creation Museum-Hebron, KY) and choosing to attend church in Milford, OH.  About 60-plus miles, one-way trip. Why? Sounds like she was looking for a Christianity that she was never going to find.

Also, her story is way too long, way too lost in extraneous, unnecessary details. The significant parts could have been told in about 5% of the length.

Correction: She is not originally from New Zealand. So I don't know why she is there now (looking for another "mission" ??? )

  • Upvote 6
  • Love 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 minutes ago, apple1 said:

Correction: She is not originally from New Zealand. So I don't know why she is there now (looking for another "mission" ??? )

Probably. She sounds like she’s still fundie. 

  • Upvote 8
Link to comment
Share on other sites

First link on a quick google search: https://friendlyatheist.patheos.com/2019/06/26/former-creation-museum-staffer-exposes-toxic-culture-of-ken-hams-empire/ 

Here is her IG. https://www.instagram.com/elladuranphoto/?hl=en The post on March 20 (red SUV with her holding up a bird tile) tells that she is flying to NZ for "up to a year, to explore and work and enjoy mountains Gandalf, mountains!" I haven't had time to dig to see if she gives a reason behind the "up to a year" move. She has one post on her blog and it is what is posted above: https://arielladuran.blogspot.com/?m=0 

And this is from her IG post on 9/11/2018 (3rd IG post)

Quote

elladuranphoto

Hullo new followers! I’m Ella, photographer, entrepreneur, interior painter, and basically a jack-of-all-trades. (Not kidding - I’ve worked in a Celtic shop, worked with a blacksmith, worked for an equestrian center, gone to flight camp, taught an art class, and also was licensed as an EMT, to name a few!)

My sister is @phyliciamasonheimer, blogger/speaker extraordinaire - I recently had an amazing photoshoot with her, her husband, and their two lil girls so check that out in my recent posts!

I live a semi-nomadic life, traveling between multiple states for work and I love it, so if you’re interested in hiring me for a photoshoot but concerned about the distance, please DM me or contact me through my website [link in profile☝?] to check the possibility of me coming to you! I love visiting new places and exploring.

I’m a Christ-follower - meaning I stand on the authority of the Bible and the applicability of the Gospel to every part of life.

I’m also a singer-songwriter, so if you’ll be in Florence, KY on October 6th come have great coffee and meet me after I play a set at @velocity_bikeandbean!

Thanks for following!☺️??




#snaptember #day11#tuesdayintroductions#michiganphotographer#kentuckyphotographer#ohiophotographer#californiaphotographer #nomadlife#weddingphotographer#entrepreneurlife #nikond3200#travelphotographer

 

Edited by quiversR4hunting
removed unneeded spacing
  • Upvote 1
  • Thank You 10
  • Love 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ok, I lied, I didn't get right back to work. I noticed one of her IG posts and she mentioned her brother. I went to his IG (not going to link, he is a minor). Interesting that her brother isn't being homeschooled. He is a senior at the local public school. 

  • Upvote 3
  • Love 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

It is news to me that human trafficking is apparently a big problem in Northern Kentucky. I want to couch this by saying that it's a problem everywhere and it's very worrisome, both to people in Kentucky and in other states, but it's not recognized as a "hot spot." With that said, the majority of human trafficking cases here involve foreign nationals. Universally, the top counties for human trafficking here are Jefferson (which is the county where Louisville is) and Fayette County (where Lexington is). All this makes me wonder if she was told how terrible human trafficking was in Grant County as some method to control her actions and scare her away from traveling to Cincinnati. In any case, she could be reasonably safe traveling to the Wal-Mart in Grant County without worrying about being trafficked. It's just one part of this awful story, but it struck me as strange. Also, there's a bit of irony that she was worried about being caught up in a situation like that while she was already being abused and manipulated (imho) by her current employer. Go figure.

https://www.wlwt.com/article/human-trafficking-in-the-tri-state-separating-fact-from-fiction/20107834

It's absolutely sickening to me that people are coming to my state to be used and abused in this manner. Many people fought the Creation Museum and Ark Encounter, and worries about their adherence to legal employment guidelines was one of those issues. Many residents objected to the fact that they only hire people who will adhere to their statement of faith--thus excluding a majority of the locals who could potentially work there. However, upon reflection, it would be much easier to control and abuse employees who are away from their families and in uncertain living conditions, so this may have either been a factor or played into the AiG's hands. 

Edited by ViolaSebastian
  • Upvote 15
  • Love 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Looking on her original fb post, the comments follow the exact pattern of other abuse claims in evangelical circles-- why are you airing this instead of addressing it privately? Aren't you worried about damaging the reputation of a godly man? Maybe you need to pray and fast instead of complaining. Etc, etc.

It occurs to me that a young, sheltered evangelical like Ella lacks the language and context to understand that what she's describing are basically wage and hour violations. I think that's why she's so long-winded and gives so much extraneous information. It sounds like she's just gotten into some kind of therapy and is only now realizing this was messed up, but can still only express these frustrations in interpersonal terms (like "setting boundaries"). She's also trying really, really hard to justify why she doesn't want to work 12-18 hour days without overtime or why she doesn't want to work in the sun without proper clothing and without breaks, because she's not sure whether or not it's normal to put up with that stuff. And the response she gets from others in her circle make it clear that she's not supposed to ask those questions. It's a dynamic I've seen in other belief-driven workplaces, whether religious or activist-driven. I know too many people who have been cheated out of pay and coerced into illegal working conditions because it's for the cause. 

  • Upvote 21
  • I Agree 4
  • Love 6
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I wonder if her living situation was arranged in some way by AiG, otherwise, it's tangential to the (don't get me wrong--very wrong and from the sounds of it, illegal) working situation at AiG. It sounds as though it definitely added to her distress and was a fucked up situation in and of itself, but unless AiG facilitated that, it's not their fault.

  • Upvote 7
  • I Agree 2
  • Love 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, NachosFlandersStyle said:

Looking on her original fb post, the comments follow the exact pattern of other abuse claims in evangelical circles

So much of her story reminded me of tales of the young women working at the IBLP Gothard Sex-Abuse Headquarters.  Naive young women, brutal hours, control by guilt.  

  • Upvote 11
  • I Agree 7
  • Thank You 1
  • Love 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, apple1 said:

Also, her story is way too long, way too lost in extraneous, unnecessary details. The significant parts could have been told in about 5% of the length.

Agreed.  I got a few paragraphs into it and started having Jennifer "Jen's Gems Epic Tsunami of Words/Massive Wall O' Text" Epstein Fisburne flashbacks 

 

Edited by Howl
  • Upvote 3
  • Haha 7
  • Love 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

"Women shouldn't work outside the home... but hey, we live in a fallen world and it's gonna happen, anyway, so it might as well be for me-- and for very little (or no) money." 

@Howl, my flashbacks are of Doug Phillips and his warehouse "helpers"-- who all just happened to be female, or underage, or both. 

  • Upvote 11
  • Thank You 1
  • Love 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I remember sitting in a little cafe* in tiny Comfort, TX, just down the road from Boerne, during the height of the Boerne Christian Assembly kerfuffle, trying to explain the whole Doug Phillips thing to hubs, who said, "You may want to keep your voice down." 

*High's Cafe and Store

 

  • Upvote 4
  • Haha 5
  • Love 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now


×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.