I'm a Journalism Major and Survived a Cult: Here's What I Learned

They're at all the popular spots on campus. The busiest library, dining hall, and even the campus community center. They walk around with smiles plastered on their faces, hiding their ulterior motives as they approach lonely souls trying to gain a footing in a new chapter of their lives. I was one of them. 

Just like the hundreds of those that had "fallen away", I had no idea that I had walked into a bear trap until it was too late. I hit rock bottom mentally and was barely sleeping every night. No matter how many times we lie to ourselves and try to make sense of random odd incidents, your body will let you know that something is not right. That was quite frankly the scariest part of it all. Knowing that something is off but not realizing that those you were praying with, shoulders you were crying on, and opening up your heart to with pure intentions, were the reason why. 

I spent months feeling drained, like the life was being sucked out of me. It seemed that I could never get enough sleep, rarely had energy, and was always on edge. I just remembered being exhausted all the time. Turns out, that was my body trying to signal that something was not right. 

The human body is so incredible that it can warn us of certain things way before we know. I was feeling this way months before I left. I also was starting to feel lonely as I noticed that my friends started disappearing. I never thought anything of it and just figured that got sucked into the busy stream of college life. And that thought alone is what separates people from the core clique. We were real and didn't feel the need to pretend like everything was fine all the time. We accepted that people sometimes come and go for reasons unrelated to us and that was just part of life. But those in the core clique, that idea was foreign. The ministry couldn't be just part of your life, it had to be your life.

It all started when I was sitting by myself working on an assignment in the food court at the campus community center. I had just moved on campus away from home for the first time and was figuring life out on my own. It was a very lonely time and I was eagar to make new friends. A little too eager.

These two ladies approached me and I was immediately skeptical. I mean can't they see I'm busy? They asked me if I knew what Alpha Omega was and I replied "Is it a sorority? If so, I'm not interested." They said, "No, we're a ministry on campus! We call it that because God is the Apha and Omega, the beginning and the end." They said that they were playing Sardines that night and asked for my phone number so I could get the info about the event. I still felt skeptical. 

For the following weeks they would message me their weekly schedule and I ignored it. For months. I had a bad experience with a ministry at Collin College where I felt extremely unwelmcomed and was scared to try another one. I kept ignoring their messages until one day I was taking pictures of squirells for a photojournalism assignment, and one of the ladies approched me. She said that they were having a bible talk outside on the lawn and invited me. At first I wasn't sure then I decided to go because what's the worst that could happen? It's just a group Bible study. 

All my fears went away instantly as I was received with open arms and curiousity. They wanted to get to know me and were asking for my contact info. I felt welcomed and like they genuiley wanted to get to know me. After the first group Bible study, I was sold. Next, I would spend a year in hell.