Hi Bill!

I'm so glad you read the book and that it helped you understand the dangers of this group. I would like to know, as well, who suggested AIM. I found out with my niece and her husband that it was their youth pastor. I'm so glad your daughter obviously has a good, strong foundation from you and your church! I haven't heard of Campus RUF. What is that a part of--her school? If you'd like, I think I will check it out too. I'm just curious.

Thank you so much for your kind words and encouragement! You have no idea what it means to me. So many people just don't understand why I feel so compelled to do what I do. When I saw my friend, my oldest daughter, then millions of children being targeted by teachers promoting occultism under the guise of being "Christian," well, let's just say, nothing could stop me from researching and speaking out against it. I guess that's the mother grizzley in me! (lol!)

Please keep my updated on how things go! If you need help in any other way, please feel free to ask!

Claris

Bill,

One other thing I'd like to add after looking up RUF (Hopefully, this is the second response you're getting and I didn't forget to post my last one--can't tell right away with the way this works on this website). It could be RUF suggested AIM to your daughter as I see they do mission trips. If you find out that's the case, you need to find out who suggested it, why they thought of AIM, and ask what they know about it (very gently!). You want to see why they, if indeed this is the case, suggested AIM. I did notice on RUF's website that it said they are "committed to tangibly expressing God's care for the world by seeking wholeness for the poor, justice for the oppressed, and restoration for creation." This sounds alot like the social gospel or social justice promoted by groups like Sojourners. But, it depends what else they say with it. I was brought up in the Christian Reformed denomination and am Reformed (though, I had to leave the CRC because of blatant occult teachings it was endorsing). New Age/Emergent leaders are infiltrating many mainline denominations, including the Reformed Church of America, the Christian Reformed Church of North America, and colleges like Calvin College and Wheaton. I hope RUF is remaining firm in the faith. After my own eye-opening experience, I tell everyone never put your pastor or denomination on such a pedestal that you don't question things! Never blindly trust! It sounds to me you are well aware of that--thankfully! Keep me informed!

Claris

Claris, I wanted to let you know that all has worked out well in my situation. My daughter read your book and we had a lengthy discussion about listening prayer and how it is emotion driven rather than scripture based. Your book was a helpful background to our discussion and my daughter is very grateful to you. I was also encouraged that she discussed with her local "RUF" (reformed university fellowship) minister and he is totally on the same page with us. Moving forward, my daughter will be much stronger from this experience and will be able to see through many of the false teachings out there. At the moment she is slowly working with another coed that is very involved in listening prayer, and has some experience with YWAM. Hopefully this new struggle for her friend will have a happy ending as well.

Thanks again for your research and support through this frightening time. You have been a major blessing to my family.

Bill

Hi Bill!

Thanks so much for writing and telling me what happened. I was pretty sick for the past month and haven't kept up with things very well (feeling better now). Wish I had seen this earlier!
I'm SO glad everything worked out for you and your daughter and I have been so encouraged to hear that what I wrote was helpful! Tell you daughter I'm very glad she saw through the deception taking place and that she is using what she learned to help others! I'm also relieved that the pastor is in total agreement with you--I was a little concerned there because of what I've seen coming into various Reformed churches.

Hope you had a blessed Easter! Thank-you once again for keeping me up to date with what happened and for your support! It means more than you know!

Claris
p.s. If you daughter has any questions or concerns, please tell her to contact me through the e-mail address noted in my book, or here at this site (sounds like you have a very discerning and loving daughter!). Take care!

I am posting a letter I received from a young woman who left the mission trip called The World Race sponsored by Adventures in Missions early. What she describes is very disturbing. She could have died from negligence (and the arrogance of staff leaders). The letter speaks for itself. If Rick Ross or anyone else who reads this knows of anything that can be done--please let me know. Here's Imelda's letter:

hi Claris,


I actually heard of you/about your book from Alex Compton, who was on my squad. He left the World Race shortly after I did, the following month.

I'm a missionary and a firm bible believer. I'm 32 years old and had a little more life experience and bible literacy under my belt than did the average bear on my squad. (The average age was 23 and most could be described from my personal interactions as luke-warm college kids whose parents were ecstatic to ship them off on any mission adventure to get their child back on track with Jesus.) 4 people amongst my World Race squad were saved (born-again) not rededicated and then baptized because a hand full of us were diligent to preach the Gospel (which is not necessarily encouraged by WR culture) and to rightly divide the Word of Truth amongst our peers.


I noticed red flags immediately at training camp with no mention of the name of Jesus for the first few hours of orientation and an immensely secularized worship session to get the kids pumped up. But in all honesty, I felt called to this mission by God and plenty of word of confirmation after having had a vision of this particular route.


I'm actually a youth leader at my church, Calvary Chapel Mountain View, and I have been in the ministry of discipling young women in bible studies. Never in a million years would I ever want any of our students to experience or be exposed to what I went through on the World Race. I fear, that the majority of the young people who go on this trip, are lured away from the faith via emotionalism and a "do what feels good, God loves you no matter what" approach to experiencing freedom in Christ. People start going around after a while saying "I'm Jesus" or "I'm perfect." Speaking all sorts of nonsense "into existence" and considering themselves supernatural royalty, because "our Dad is a big deal, and so are we."



This was my last blog:
[imeldaperez.theworldrace.org]


After a very traumatic experience being exposed to NAR/Dominion theology and the likes of occultic practices through AIM, it's been very hard to debrief since returning home to California in mid-March. I believe fully that God is on the throne and that He definitely hand-crafted this experience for me. I consider it a sacred gift to have been made aware of the very dangerous reality of false prophets and false teachers encroaching boldly into the church and targeting this generation of young believers. Most of all, I am DEVASTATED and broken hearted having had to witness those who swallowed this up hook, line and sinker in the face of being told the Truth repeatedly by those of us who stand on biblical truth, in love and in grace.


I made enemies of the leadership and was put in my place several times, even from the squad coordinator who flew in from Gainesville, GA and another coach who came to do "damage control." I was repeatedly bullied and told that I was not there to preach the Gospel, or teach the bible, or concern myself with other people's spiritual growth -- I was there to learn how to hear the voice of God. I was being told that I made things too theological and this was infecting others. When I asked for answers, I was always referred to Seth Barne's "Kingdom Journeys" and "the process."



Not only was the teaching false and the spiritual environment very unhealthy, from a practical point of view AIM is a negligent business (nevermind that is poses as a Christian ministry) but absolves itself by putting forth it's "no expectations" policy.

I was hospitalized twice and suffered immensely and unnecessarily because of terrible leadership and a lack of compassion. I was essentially overlooked repeatedly the second time I got sick from acute gastroenteritis due to parasites on a 30 hour train ride from Hyderabad to Agra, where I had asked my 23 year old team leader to please get me medical care ASAP. By the time I boarded the train, my whole team and leader were well aware of my condition -- it was hard to miss with hives covering my body, the fact that I had projectile vomiting and explosive diarrhea the entire time and became so dehydrated I could not move without pain. I'm not lying when I say that Alex (whom you've interviewed) was the only one who continuously checked up on me, and ended up carrying my backpack/luggage when the rest of my team just departed off the train to make their way to the Taj Mahal.


I asked several times to please go to the hospital -- I was given excuses that the sim card was expired in the cell phone, that I was going to have to wait, it was a travel day, when we'd get to the next airport after the group outing then I could go, and finally, exasperated my leader buckled under peer pressure when another person just stepped in and said "We're just going to keep praying and keep on, keepin' on..."

And that's exactly what happened. Now this was my second time, second month in a row getting sick this severely. (I was hospitalized the month previous for parasites for 4 days, after I'd asked for medical care and was left to sleep it off instead until they realized I was fever spiking beyond 103 and hallucinating about snakes in my bed. It was again a lack of leadership and compassion and poor decision making...)


...and so I literally got dragged along to the Taj Mahal, and no one was appointed to stay behind with me or care for me, and I could barely walk. This cult mentality of fear that had been cultivated made it possible for young Christians to overlook the obviously smelly, disheveled, dehydrated, half-asleep sick person who had been like this for more than 2 days.


Needless to say, fast forward, and I landed in the hospital in Romania after extensive travel. I had squawked my way up the ladder to the squad leader, and praise God, somehow found the strength to account for all the sick people on our squad. I took a firm stand against all these young people being neglected and delegated caregivers to remain with them, demanded that team leaders buy proper nourishment/water supply, and sectioned off the front of our bus to the next debrief location where I isolated the sick. In my own state, I prayed for, and tended to the needs of the sick which numbered to nearly 1 dozen. All displayed signs of dehydration and stomach problems.


I myself, collapsed in exhaustion after nearly 5 days of travel since the date we departed from Hyderabad via train and my episode of sickness began. That didn't last long, and no one seemed to notice that I was passed out, so when I awoke to the sharp stabbing pain of needles in my back and stomach and a hellishly hot fever again -- I was alone. I ended up falling down some stairs making it to the hostel bathroom in time to rainbow diarrhea and forceful vomit in both trash can and toilet.


Literally, my squad leader and team leader, were standing outside, wondering what to do next.


Finally, someone intervened without leadership's authority, two other people just stepped in, picked me up and hailed a cab. I ended up in the emergency where I was then taken via ambulance to an infectious disease isolation ward and pumped full of meds to flush out the parasites again, and re-hydrate me. I was so dehydrated that when you pinched my skin, it remained folded.


I was now isolated and resting -- and guess what? Leadership never once came to check up after my admission - not from the squad. Not from headquarters (who by the way were there to debrief us in month 7 and do damage control because of our "process being disrupted.")

At the end of the last day in the hospital, then, finally my team leader came to stay overnight in my room but then just plugged into some headphones and fell asleep in the comfortable bed provided for us. There was a coldness of having had to "deal with me."


The fruits of such New Age introspective self-discovery journeys posing as Christian missions is evident -- and the fruit is not love. It's not anything that resembles Jesus.


I was the bold one of the squad who would repeatedly stand up, and boldly before everyone to witness point out scripture twisting, ask for the answers to such teachings in accordance to the bible, and instead of giving the grace they were always preaching about ("grace upon grace") I'd get told that I am a bitter, unforgiving, and judgmental Christian. I was going to discover that my judgments regarding their teachings were going to hit me like a boomerang right in the head.

When I approached the squad coordinator about the lack of safety and the negligence to health and compassion for the sick, her response was again that I was bitter, unforgiving and judgmental, and perhaps too wounded for such an elite program as the World Race. (Bully tactics, shaming, and condemnation -- they're great at it.) I began to ask more pressing questions about how they formulate their process.


Again, I was told I make things too theological. They went so far as to say that I make the word of God an idol. I got under the coordinator's collar enough that she slipped up in evident frustration/anger and explained to me that the church spiritual formation is according to Ephesians 4, and that Seth Barnes is an Apostle. I could see immediately a look of regret flash across her face, she became tight-lipped after that, literally. And dismissed me.


It goes without saying, this was one day after I was released from the hospital. When I shared my experience, I was told there was nothing differently that could have been done for me. I needed to be an adult and be accountable for not letting myself get dehydrated and/or sick. (Little did they know, I was the lady with 3 first aid kits, CPR/first-aid, village health-caregiver trained, and I had packed over 8 liters of water with electrolyte packets for myself.) I was normally the one tending to the sick!

God is sovereign, they claimed. I was judging leadership and being a Pharisee by thinking I could have done things differently. And that God was teaching me what forgiveness looked like, and I needed to go back to my team and get vulnerable and give feedback and ask them "Why didn't you guys take better care of me?"


So when it came to asking about teachings, I was too theological. When it came to pointing out their blatant bad customer service (how they treated their missionaries) they pulled the faith card. You're made to feel like a loser, no matter what.



The crazy thing about these leader types from headquarters is that they won't address you or answer your questions without always pre-facing with, "Ok, so what's your Myers-Briggs personality and your spiritual gifting?"


I'd laugh and answer "Truth is truth. You don't need to formulate a response based on psychology, which isn't biblical, by the way. The bible tells me that I am uniquely made in God's image and therefore, the only label that applies to me by which you can approach me is that I belong to Jesus."


My experience with the World Race has inspired me to want to write a book about it, potentially. The leader's tactics with me went from diminishing what they recognized in me as bible literacy, they slandered me, they bullied me, when that didn't work they tried flattering my ego and declaring me to be the "rock star prophetess" of the squad hoping to win me over to them, and finally, by grossly neglecting my basic human needs.


I'm going to honestly admit to you, that I was in BAD shape emotionally, spiritually and mentally by the time my pastor Skyped me to check in on me the morning of March 15th. I woke up, crying, and having been fasting from food for days, wondering one thing: God, am I really saved?


That was my spiritual condition after taking hit after hard hit after more hard hit for standing on God's word in my squad. I was actually quite popular and many would come to me for counsel, especially the women, as I taught them about their identities in Christ.


My last hoorah had been teaching an evangelism workshop the week before I departed. Many had fallen for AIM's approach to acts of service as being enough to show the world Jesus -- never once was it encouraged to preach the Gospel. I left and made sure that those who attended understood the difference, and the importance of both, but the need to share the Good News as missionaries as being preeminent in fulfilling the Great Commission in the nations.


I've been having trouble debriefing and suffering from panic attacks since the World Race. I was literally rescued by my church, even though I had been fully funded, I came home March 18th and never looked back.


It's taken me about 2 months to re-integrate and I'm finally getting back to "normal" with a job, and slowly opening up our home to women's discipleship again. I haven't been able to speak much about this experience.


It would get me too fired up and I couldn't go back and unpack the emotions it would trigger. I made many enemies after I left, but many others also followed my example and left too.


Half my team unfriended me, and I have received some less than pleasant phone calls and messages.


I would appreciate your prayers. And I'm open to sharing my experience some more.


In His grip,
Imelda

Hi Claris, thank you for posting my story as I wrote it and told it to you for the first time since coming home. I am so thankful to have your support and to be able to feel encouraged by you to not keep this all bottled up or to myself. I am not taking a popular stance as the World Race culture is very exclusive and creates a sense of pride and elitism in those who partcipate and get wrapped up in their doctrine. The sad thing is that the majority of the participants don't recognize they're being indoctrinated or they don't see red-flags or harm being done. Afterall, it's a fun adventure of doing good works in the name of Jesus while discovering who you really are and being healed of baggage you have...etc...according to the spin. This of course makes me the bad guy.

I wanted to add, after skimming over my own story I wrote to you, that while I was writing it I was shaking. But since putting it out there, at long last, God has really begun to give me peace, and an immense compassion and fervent urge to continuously pray for my squad mates. Those people out there on the World Race need intercession BADLY. I also wanted to note that when new leadership was raised up, one young man stood out -- Jonathan -- and he was the new squad leader, someone who I had immediately sense had integrity. I recognize now that he made attempts to stand up for me on the first occasion I was sick after being released from the hospital and actually prayed with me. Second time around, he snuck out and came to visit me in the hospital way later after visiting hours and brought me a chocolate egg. While those gestures showed me his heart, his inability to go against the "greater powers that be" were evidence of the type of spiritual formation he was being discipled under. It goes without saying that female leadership outnumbered and outranked male leadership by a landslide.

Additionally, there is this overt sense of empowering women, which almost strikes me as feminist, and excuse my graphic language -- but the men are spiritually castrated when subjected to submission to weaker female authority put over them. That's my two cents, but I believe Christian men are good for more than just loading and unloading heavy backpacks. My brothers out on the field were gentleman, but not groomed to be warriors.

Spiritual formation is absolutely not God's plan for sanctification. My heart behind sharing my story is not recognition or pity -- those trials I endured were God's sovereign plan and I have forgiven everyone directly involved either by way of perpetration or bystanding silently. I'm not against the people who were on my squad, I am for them and I love them, even though they don't see it that way. (They think if I am against the World Race, I am against them and an unloving person!) While my experience was awful, more deplorable is the false teaching and dangerous theology -- and THAT right there is what makes it worthwhile to share my story and re-live the experience each time that I do: TO WARN.

This not something I ever wanted for myself, and it is not an easy path to walk. I fight fear every day by way of prayer and every time I speak out, I face rejection -- anyone who thinks speaking truth doesn't take love hasn't been in this type of situation. Only love could keep me getting out of bed every day to keep following Jesus, stand fast the faith, and keep preaching the Gospel.

Thank you.

Your so welcome Imelda. No one should have to go through the awful experience you did that was casued by those proclaiming to be Christian--those you put your trust in; yet, we have been warned ahead of time by Jesus and His apostles that this would happen until His return.

I will be praying for your squadmates and all those who go on the World Race to have their eyes opened. The practices and peer pressure makes it hard to resist, especially for those who don't know Scripture do not test what is being taught. I learned a long time ago, question and test everything--as Scripture calls us to do! (1 Thessalonians 5:21). You never want to follow with blind trust.

I am so glad you have found it in your heart to forgive all those involved and that you have found peace.

This experience, as awful as it was, will (and I believe already has), made you stronger in your faith. There will still be times of struggle because, as you put it so well, the path isn't easy. God disciplines those whom he loves, and parents discipline their children out of love for them. It's much easier to let a chlid do whatever he/she wants so you don't have to deal with them. That's not love. Speaking the truth, knowing the consequences of believing a lie, is loving others. Perhaps not right away, but some day, they will come to know and understand why you left the World Race.

Frustration can sometimes get the better of us when we want so badly for others to see the Truth. So, the next time you begin to get that feeling of anxiety, remember that you're not alone in this--you have more support than you know, and above all, God is there, by your side, holding you safely in His arms.

May God strengthen and sustain you in the days, months, and years ahead.

Claris
p.s. I have heard from Alex the same observation you made about the woman. Odd. Seems almost like they're using the women to keep the men shackeled, so to speak. I'm not sure if that's the case, but it's interesting that you brought it up too.

Public Service Note:

Any organization that sends personnel to Third World countries has the responsibility of monitoring travel advisory and health department statements issued by WHO, NHS (UK) and the CDC (USA).

That organization should arrange for its personnel to be given a pretrip physical examination, the advised immunizations, medications if needed for malaria prophylaxis, and have connections with reputable physicians and hospitals and a means to bring people home who become too ill to remain abroad.

And when personnel return home, they should have contact information for a specialist in travel medicine.

Some conditions do not give symptoms until after one returns home.

Years ago, a gentleman who had traveled in Mexico told us that when he returned to the US, he developed a gut ailments and a lung problem. The treating physicians at first dismissed these as influenza, as Reverand X had these right during the local 'flu season.

Fortunately, he persisted and found access to a practitioner of travel medicine, who diagnosed him as having typhoid fever.

And Reverend X was fortunate, because if he had gone undiagnosed much longer, he might have suffered an intestinal perforation.

All of you should have a follow up with a physician versed in travel medicine.

If your family members become ill, they too should be assessed.

Typhoid, amoebic dysentary, and Hep A are all spread food and water contamination.

Other conditions such as flukes spread via wading in contaminated water or eating items which are under cooked, uncooked or pickled.

Your mission organization should arrange this kind of health care and education.

Thanks for the needed information Corboy! I will pass this on!

Claris

Just for purposes of comparison, have a look at the website info for the Jesuit Volunteer Corps.

Then, go and research other foreign placement programs offered by other denominations.

Again, some diseases that are endemic in foreign countries may not generate symptoms until after a person returns home.

Before going abroad, people should be tested for chickenpox, Hep A, Hep B, and TB.

If negative for chickenpox Hep A and Hep B exposure, people should be immunized.

(Chickenpox is horrid if one contracts it as an adult)

Depending on conditions in the host country, one may be advised to obtain immunizations for yellow fever, cholera, menningitis.

Upon returning to the US, volunteers should be instructed to get tests for TB exposure, Hep C and HIV.

A responsible missionary organization is probably not obligated to continue providing health insurance after a volunteer returns home. But that organization must, at the very least, tell people that to continue to advise their primary care physicians that they have been traveling or living abroad and mention this this in their health histories for 5 years after they have been abroad.

For example, persons who are infected with parasites may remain asymptomatic for quite a long time, until they build up a sufficient 'load' of infestation as to generate symptoms.

Unless one's physician is told that one has been in various foreign countries, even within the past 5 years or more, the treating physician will not have any index of suspicion.

For example, infestation with one form of blood fluke (schistosoma/aka Bilharzia) can cause damage to the kidneys and bladder and blood in the urine.

[www.google.com]

Prevalence

[www.rightdiagnosis.com]

Unless you tell your physician you have been in certain parts of the world the doctor (or nurse practitioner might not think to order the necessary test that can ID the parasite.

Quote

Q: Will I have health insurance in JVC?

Jesuit volunteers placed internationally and domestically receive basic health insurance coverage during their year of service. With certain restrictions and annual limits, most co-pay and deductible costs are also reimbursed. Details of the plan will be provided before the year of service begins. Anyone with a pre-existing condition or particular medical concerns may contact the JVC office for further information.

[www.jesuitvolunteers.org]

[webcache.googleusercontent.com]

Quote

You may be negatively motivated if you are applying to JVC because:
➢you do not have any other plans
➢you only want to improve your resume
➢you view JVC as a way to move to a particular city
➢you want another year of living a college lifestyle
➢you would feel guilty if you didn’t volunteer
➢you feel pressure from family members or friends to be a Jesuit Volunteer

Quote

4. Are there any people (significant other, ailing parent or grandparent) that you’reconcerned about being away from for a year? If yes, who are they and what is the concern

And here one can see whats offered to missionaries in a Young Adult Volunteer program offered by one Presybryterian missionary group.

[www.google.com]