Last Wednesday morning, I was in a car with my family, headed to a day at a local amusement park for our week of family birthdays when I got a frantic and panicked phone call. On the other end of the line was a tearful, shaky voice of a woman we’ll call Eliza, desperate from fear, poverty, and crisis and asking for help.

Three years ago Eliza was called into her bishop’s office in Colorado City and sat in front of her leadership as a “revelation” from the prophet Warren Jeffs was read to her. The revelation revealed to her and the congregation that Eliza was a murderer, a liar, and a sinner. She was accused of murdering her unborn child through miscarriage (a sin considered murder in the FLDS). Eliza tried to tell the leadership that she wasn’t even pregnant, that this revelation must be some kind of mistake. Confused, Eliza couldn’t understand how God could accuse her of something she didn’t do, but the Prophet had spoken and she had to leave the community immediately. She left her six young children behind, told that if she didn’t leave, she was killing her current children spiritually. Eliza’s oldest was being “saved” for Warren Jeffs, even though Jeffs was in prison and Eliza’s daughter was just 12.

It took over a year of being out until Eliza realized she actually had the rights, legal and moral to go claim her children. (When you’re taught Warren Jeffs is the president of the United States, it’s hard to know your legal rights). The legal battle took over a year and finally, just several months ago, Eliza was reunited with her children.

The children fought and screamed when they first saw their mother. They called her, “Stupid bitch,” and “Harlot” and “Whore.” They scratched, bit, and clawed at her as she drove them to their new home. For months, they wouldn’t touch her, obey her, or respect her. Once Eliza was kicked out, her children were started on a program of indoctrination that poisoned them against their mother, and outsiders.

The last few months have been hell for Eliza filled with attempted kidnappings from the FLDS, anguish, anxiety, and pain, but her children are finally starting to come around.

Slowly.

Just last week her eldest daughter braided her mother’s hair for the first time.

Eliza is now struggling to get on her feet. Determined to be independent from any organization, she has big dreams. Because most of her children don’t have birth certificates, she is finding it difficult to get government assistance. The family is in desperate need of help.

It’s been a frantic week of harrowing stories and determination that I have never seen before, but this morning myself and several others from FMH met with Eliza and came up with a three month, six month, and one year plan to get her to be self-sustainable.

FMH has agreed to raise 3-6 months worth of rent for her so that she can start saving her paycheck and get ahead. Many of you have asked how you can help, this is how. Please paypal money to . It is important that you specify that you want the money to go towards “Eliza’s Hope.”

We want to thank you all for contributing to our last fundraiser raising money for food and education for current FLDS members. The community is aching right now as they fraction and split under the heavy weight of unstable leadership.

Since starting the Year of Polygamy podcast, I get weekly, if not daily messages from folks in fundamentalist communities in dire need of help. The need is swallowing and having you all help has helped me. Because of the large amount of requests, FMH will be organizing something formally soon so that we will be able to take your donations and make them tax-deductible. This fund will sustain women leaving fundamentalism on a consistent basis.

Thanks again for supporting me in this work and most importantly, for supporting these amazing women.