Devastating Loss of Son at the Hands of Campus Crusade for Christ aka CRU

Devastating Loss of Son at the Hands of Campus Crusade for Christ aka CRU

Dec 2, 2019

"I’ve made a lot of new friends in the past 8 years and many of you may not know the story of how we lost our firstborn child. I am also going to share some information that many of my longtime friends may not have even heard yet.

On the morning of December 2, 2011, we received the most unfathomable phone call... that our 23 year old son had “passed away”. He was serving as a missionary in Kazakhstan, a country that is less than 1% Christian and did not even allow missionaries to enter much less live there. (We did not know this!) It wasn’t until the next day when our home was filled with people that we found out he had been murdered. He was found unresponsive on his bed, with a plastic bag over his head, a sheet tied around his neck and a pillow over his head. (The horror).

The organization he was with was called Campus Crusade for Christ and now goes by CRU (they can’t use the name of Christ anymore because it’s too dangerous). They assured us that they would get to the bottom of it and find out who did this and why. The regional office (Raleigh) of this organization called a private meeting with us right away (little did we know, they were trying to begin their damage control). At first they were loving and kind, but after the memorial service, things began to go down hill. They wanted no memorial fund, and absolutely no memorial of any kind. (They really just wanted this story to go away).

We went to Orlando, Florida to their headquarters. It was a beautiful sprawling campus, hundreds of acres with a huge gate and meticulous landscaping. (Hmmmm) The guard would not allow us entry! Not even a drive around! (What were they hiding?) Prior to our visit, we requested a meeting with the President of this $800,000,000 a year organization and were told he was too busy. Our son had just died on his watch and he was “too busy”. His name is Steve Douglass. Later on, this organization even tried to imply that Travis may have done this to himself! Really!? That’s how badly they wanted this story to go away.

Over the past 8 years, we have received countless messages from all over the country from parents wanting to know more about “this organization”. Virtually all of these folks were reaching out in desperation because of their own horror stories with their impressionable young adult children. Mind you, these kids are ALL college graduates (only the best...) It’s always the same theme too. Could this be a cult? Are they being brainwashed? Why can’t we get answers? Why is there so much secrecy?

My brother is a lawyer and he did some digging of his own. He found pages and pages of information on “what to do if your parents object”.

We reached out to our Senator, Lindsay Graham and he was able to assist us in opening an FBI investigation. This went on for several years, but left us empty. Our agent retired and our case was closed.

We have never gone public with our concerns, but we have many. We were naive and didn’t ask enough hard questions. Maybe someone reading this will learn something or think differently or ask harder questions. Feel free to share. We don’t know who might need to see this.

We were proud of Travis and we wanted him to spread his wings, but Gosh Darn! The devil is out there, be aware! Life without Travis has been hard. He would be 31 if he were still with us. It didn’t have to end this way.

If you have questions, please feel free to ask. If you have ideas, please share them. If you have input, please give it. We are wide open. God Bless y’all."

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We receive many support calls and emails from parents who's children are off to college and have joined up with church groups of some kind or another and are planning on going to other countries on missionary work. It sounds all great and exciting for the students, traveling, having a purpose, feeling like they are making a difference etc. This is an area of great concern from our perspective. 

We are trying to help support the family in their fight to expose this group and get some much needed answers, if you have any information or specific experiences with this particular group CRU feel free to reach out and file a complaint with any supporting evidence you may have. Any information is appreciated. Here is the link to do that: File a Complaint  

Our deepest condolences to the family!  

Sincerely, 

The F.A.C.T. Inc Team

Dec 2019 Newsletter - Giving Tuesday

What is F.A.C.T. Giving ? 

 Transparency is Important and we proudly hold Guidestars Platinum Seal of Transparency .

How are we actually assisting survivors of predatory groups, trafficking and abusive situations? How are we assisting in Preventing vulnerable, unsuspecting people from being victimized in the first place?

Here are a few ways F.A.C.T. is Giving.

Legal - Earlier this year, President of F.A.C.T., Tibor Stern on Behalf of Sharon Stern Estate, in his personal case, has accomplished an Unprecedented Ruling in the wrongful death lawsuit against cult leader Katsura Kan.

This will forever impact future cases of similar circumstances!

An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure!

Our Preventative Education & Anti-Human Trafficking Initiatives are well under way and 2020 holds more effective Education, Awareness and Prevention for many young adults, families and communities. Our work has, is and will continue to save lives and save families!

Support for Survivors and Families

Our efforts are resulting in families receiving much needed, specific information and support to better evaluate their unique circumstances and better educate themselves moving forward - which is crucial and ultimately can result in saving family relationships and lives! Our collaborative relationships and programs are resulting in Survivors receiving valuable resources to actually Recover and Rebuild their lives such as therapeutic counseling, books, materials and real peer to peer support. Here's what Survivors of the NXIVM Trafficking cult recently wrote in to us and said: "Naomi and Deb chose F.A.C.T for the event Deprogrammed - A Night of Comedy after working to expose a cult they were both in called NXIVM. We think F.A.C.T. and the organizations resources are extremely beneficial for ex-members, families of members, or people looking to educate themselves on what destructive organizations can do. F.A.C.T. has supported in our healing and the work they are doing needs to be celebrated. All my best, Naomi" If you are in the Los Angeles area Dec 19th, here are the details of their event. Deprogrammed - A Night of Comedy

We are a team centered in creating programs and collaborative relationships that result in Real Prevention and Support and we can not do what we do without the public's help.

If you would like to help us Organize Preventative Education & Anti-Trafficking workshop for your community please contact us at 877-360-FACT (3228) or email us at Support@FamiliesAgainstCultTeachings.org

If you would like to contribute and support our initiatives and collaborative efforts your tax deductible donation is needed and very appreciated. Here is the link to our online donation center

https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/fact

If you're a regular shopper on Amazon and would like to support us at the same time, please click the link below to select F.A.C.T. as your charity of choice. It's easy and no cost to you. https://smile.amazon.com/ch/45-5207116

We have much to share with you in the coming weeks, please be on the look out for our next newsletter and email.

Thank you for your continued interest and support in this very important cause. Your support is resulting in Real Prevention and Real Support for Survivors and those Advocating for victims.

Warmest Regards,

The F.A.C.T. Team

People Share the Moment They Realized Their Friend was a Sociopath

These stories are very eye opening!

"The “Aha” Moment Involved Brownies

I was making some brownies. My sister was visiting for some reason…maybe it was Christmas. Anyway, I like my brownies gooey and hot, so I’m cutting into them a little earlier than I should. Sister flips all the way out and starts beating on me, grabbing heavier and more dangerous weapons from whatever she can reach (pans, rolling pins, etc.). It becomes a scuffle where she keeps screaming “Stop hitting me!” while all I’m doing is grabbing her wrists to avoid taking one to the head."

Read All the Stories Here

Educate Yourself and your loved ones about Predatory Personalities

The F.A.C.T. Team 

$150 Billion Trafficking Industry in Birmingham - What Can Be Done?

"Kathy Jackson was a typical college student in the mid-1980s when she went to Chicago for spring break to attend a jazz festival with a group of friends she had met in college.

She did not expect to become trapped in a human trafficking ring for more than three decades.

“I really thought they were students at the college [I attended], but they were not,” recalled Jackson. “They were finding out information about me—where I was from, who my mom is, who my dad is, what they do for a living, typical questions. When you’re in college, you don’t have a reason to wonder why people would ask.Jackson said initially she was reluctant about the trip to Chicago.

“My gut was telling me not to go,” she said. “But the free spirit in me was like, ‘No, it’ll be fun. I can work on what I need to do later.’”

“We were in this nice hotel, and they were saying we were going to lunch. I said I was going to go study, and they said, ‘No, no come. It’ll be fun.’ I was reluctant again, but the free spirit in me said, ‘It’s nothing.’”

Jackson said they went to a beautiful condo—where she was assaulted, raped, and repeatedly beaten.

That was the beginning of a devastating odyssey, during which Jackson was trafficked all over the world.

“There are only two continents I haven’t been on and only five states I haven’t been in for more than a day,” she said.

Now living in Alabama, Jackson said she has a full-time job and attends Miles College."

Read Full Article by: Birmingham Times Here 

The most effective way to combat this epidemic of Trafficking - both Sex Trafficking and Labor Trafficking is through Preventative Education! Our youth are the main targets for traffickers and predators. We must be smarter then the predators, 10 steps ahead of them and we Must Educate and Safeguard our Youth before predators get to them first. 

Help us Organize and Sponsor Anti-Trafficking Workshops in your Community. Here is the link to more details about our Anti-Trafficking Initiative

Thank you,
The F.A.C.T. Team 

Florida Becomes First State to Teach Human Trafficking Prevention in Schools

"The State Board of Education has unanimously approved a new rule requiring instruction in child trafficking prevention for students in grades K-12. With this approval, Florida will be the first state in the nation to address the need for instruction in child trafficking prevention.

The new rule also establishes procedures for school districts to plan and document delivery of the required instruction.

Florida is third in the nation for numbers of reported cases of human trafficking, and the average age of trafficked youth is 11 to 13 years old. In 2018, there were 767 human trafficking cases reported in Florida. Of those cases, 149 were minors. Up to 70 percent of sex trafficking and exploitation begins with predators connecting with youth online. According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, one out of eight endangered runaway youth is likely a victim of human trafficking."

Read Full Article Here