Bodies Behind The Bus

Rachel joined Youth With A Mission (YWAM) at 18 and did her Discipleship Training School (DTS) in Puerto Rico. In this episode, she shares a base culture of control, from limited phone time and locked bathrooms to comments on her body and clothes. She walks through a group deliverance session, a survival camp called NIKO that ended in a forced animal sacrifice ritual, and an outreach in Colombia her team was not prepared for. Rachel shares why she left and why she is speaking up now.
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In this episode, we continue our Youth With A Mission (YWAM) series with Amanda. At 18, a back injury ended her basketball dreams, so she joined a YWAM program hoping to grow her faith. Instead, she found strict rules, constant control, and a culture that pushed her to doubt herself. Amanda shares what her training looked like day to day, and then walks us through NICO, a five-day wilderness program in Costa Rica that left her and others deeply harmed. This is a hard story, but it is also one of survival, healing, and finding her voice again. Amanda now speaks out so others can make informed choices and know they are not alone.

Content note: This episode talks about trauma, suicidal thoughts, disordered eating, and harm to animals. Please take care while listening.
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Sarah's story continues. She returns to a Youth With A Mission (YWAM) base in the States, where a car accident leaves her hurt and exhausted. Instead of rest, she faces pressure to keep working and leading. In this episode, she describes a base culture built on strict molds, spiritual bypassing, and misogyny. When women disclose sexual assaults to her, leaders defend the men and dismiss the victims. Sarah then walks through her own relationship with Junior, which turned controlling and violent. She shares why she finally left YWAM and what she wants leaders to hear. This is part two of two.

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Sarah joined Youth With A Mission (YWAM) at 22 and did her training school in Samoa. In this episode, she shares what happened on outreach in the Solomon Islands, where a fellow student assaulted her. When she told leaders, they blamed her, called it her sin, and separated her from the team while her abuser stayed. Sarah walks through the harm that followed and the few people who finally believed her. This is part one of two.
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Jamie joins Youth With A Mission (YWAM) at 17 and stays 25 years, from 1994 to 2020. Jamie describes how YWAM's Founders Circle holds authority without accountability. After the Pulse nightclub shooting, Jamie, speaks out publicly as an affirming Christian. He recounts two years of meetings with international leaders and a talk in which founder Loren Cunningham tells of praying judgment on a man who died the next day. Jamie shares why he and his wife walk away, what they lose, and the community they have now.
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