The swowhmps of FLA…
So, here I am sitting in Rutland "cut off ". To be cut-off means you are not connected to God or His people. You can choose to do this voluntarily, say for instance you disagree with a teaching or some action of the community and need time to consider how your thoughts are wrong and how you can accept this "thing" that you dont believe is the will of God. Or you are cut-off by a judgement of the elders and need to repent of your ways or beliefs that make you not "as one" with the rest. I was cut-off due to my confession and was instructed to go back to "GO", do not collect $200 and start again…
Now when your "cut-off" you are not allowed to play in any reindeer games. Your not allowed to raise your hands when they "approach the Throne" and pray at the end of their worship/sacrifice services every morning and night.( keep in mind, the baptised men are the only ones allowed to do this. The women just stand there with there heads down. They can offer a prayer but cant raise their hands! Sorry girls, boys only!!! Naner naner naner!) You are also not allowed to sing or dance in the "gatherings". I liked to sing but I never cared to dance. I never liked step dances( Id forget the steps) and no, I never did the "bus stop" or the "electric slide" LOL! You were not allowed to speak, unless you were speaking of how you were learning to see your transgression and repent from it. You could not go to the "breaking of the bread" either. I’ll save that one for another entry to itself. People only spoke to you when it was neccessary. You were to feel the pain of seperation. Now when your in this situation, just in order to have peace and the sense of being "a part" (the reason you joined in thew first place) your going to do whatever it takes to be brought back into the fold and under the elders good graces. Even if that means going against your best thoughts. Even if you had to convince your self that you are wrong and surely you dont want to question the great and glorious "OZ" and His "portion" for you! And sooner or later, you WILL convince yourself of your rebeliousness and publicly repent to the "church" or the "Body of Messiah". If you dont, your in a living hell and no one wants to stay there! So you have to make a move one way or another…
So, Im waiting for weeks for them to find me a ride to the community in Arcadia Fl. Usually there all kinds of trips between the communitys and you can catch rides to here and there. Nothing was happening, and this whole time Im cut-off. A "leper in the camp". And I cant repent there! I have to wait to go to Arcadia! Finally I asked if theyd put me on a greyhound along with all my possesions. I had alot of stuff for a single disciple but it accumulates. I was what they considered a "well established" single brother. Which usually means you have realised that your prospects of getting a wife were slim and that you had accepted this fact and that you were going to have to fend for yourself and collected stuff like a sewing kit, books, stationary and general misc things to survive.
They finally broke down and put me on the bus. If it had been any other circumstances, I would have gone quicker and maybe on a plane. So, Im on the bus for 60 hrs. I said to myself "if Im cut off,Im going to have a smoke". So I bought a pack which gave me something to help the trip go smoother. I would quit as soon as I got there, which I did. Thats one thing I am indebted to the Tribes for. I now have the power to control my vices…
When I arrived at the bus station in Arcadia, it was a Mexican convenience store. This town is in the "sticks" or should I say "swamps"! Its an agricultural town and its down town consists of 75% antique stores which echoes years of prosperity past. I called the "Farm" and no one knew of my arrival. I had to wait for several hours for someone to break away from their routine to get me. They were only 10 minutes away!
The elder there is their head of medicine for all the Tribes called Eliezer ( God has helped). More like "God help us!!!". I had met him before when I first came in at West Palm Beach Fl. He was a self proclaimed witch doctor and he’s like some kid who thinks he’s a Dr cuz he’s read alot of books, and most of them were written by other "Quacks"! He was on his way to his daughters wedding in Boston, I think , and we had a brief chat about my situation and he said we would talk more when he got back in 2 weeks, and he handed me off to the elder who would be standing in for him. Obediah(servant of God) of the Tribe of Levi. Levi is the tribe in Germany. Theyve had alot of problems with home schooling there. Its allowed in several states but not the one they live in. Now when you look at this site you will see what an outsider sees and not the seemy underside of the belly. They want you to see this illusion of utopia and its a very effective trap. So beware! Not all is as it seems!!! http://economads.com/log20010729-20010812.php Obediah is a cold man but he has the power to be charismatic and is very scripturaly read. I still couldnt ask for repentance and to get baptised again until Eliezer returned but it wasnt too bad there. This community wasnt "established" yet, so they didnt have breaking of bread or the normal "minchat"(gathering) and so it wasnt as apparent that I was cut-off and I could speak more freely also.
They had about 15 acres, a steel quonset hut, 2 houses, Several shacks in the woods and tent sites with power. I lived in a yurt on stilts.Thay 2 cows they milked and a calf. 50 chickens and a bunch of useless goats that couldnt give milk. It was an old nursery which was busted as a front for a pot farm and they picked it up cheap. They were trying to turn it back into a nursery. Another reason they got it cheap is because its on the flood plane of the Peace River. Ironicaly thats were I was hoping to find peace. In that river! They were selling the West Palm farm and hoped to bring the small nursery they had there to Arcadia. They got there money from the firewood business in West Palm. They sent several disciples there every week to chop wood and deliver it to restaurants. They got the trees from the multi million dollar tree service they had in West Palm. They were starting a organic lawn service supply comp. too. http://www.commonsensecare.com/aboutus.html
So, I worked as the "sexton" better known as the maintanance man. I did every kinda thing. It was hot a humid and this was in the winter. Luckily I got out of there and went to Colo. Springs in Feb. of 2004. No AC and fans dont do much for you either. The mosquitos were horrendous. They were trying a new diet too. No carbohyrates mixed with protien. So no sandwiches, millet with eggs, cake with yogurt etc. It sucked!
Eliezer came back briefly for 2 days and was off again to a alternative cancer clinic in Tiajuana. They had some mexican disciple with cancer that was being treated with some apricot seed therapy. Hog wash! So I was still stuck in the limbo of being cut-off. Finally I requested by phone with Elezer and also with Obediah to "express my heart’ and ask for forgiveness and be baptised again. It was approved. At a Fri. night celebration I spoke in tears and I got an "Amen" to go to "the waters" and was baptised in the Peace River. This was my 4th time. I truly wanted to "die to myself" and screamed at the top of my voice for "Yahshua to save me!". I was allowed to keep the name of Daveed Yathed.
So, now it was time for me to do a little squeaking in order to get some grease that would get me moved to anywhere but that hell hole. My ultimate desire was to work at the Mate’ Factor in Manitou Springs Colo. I was born in Madison Wi. so that made me a member of the Tribe of Mannasah. So I called Ahimelech and told him I wanted to "come home". He spoke to Yoneq in Calif and it was arranged for me to go to the cafe. Eliezer didnt want to lose me. I was there Handy Man! But he couldnt stop it, but he got it postponed until after the big exodus out of West Palm that they were shutting down.
I got a ride to Atlanta were the Chattanooga brothers were doing an electrical job and then got a ride to Chattanooga and stayed there for the weekend. Ahimelechs in-laws live there and he came and picked me up there and we drove back to Warsaw MO and spent the night. The Warsaw boys tried there hardest to get me put back into the furniture shop but Yoneq had given firm orders. Thank God! Warsaw was almost worse than Arcadia! I got to see the new farm they purchased from some survivalist awhile back were they were planning to raise beef! MEAT!!!
At last, I got to the community in Colo. Springs. It had been a bustling community but was winding down and was up for sale. They were house hunting for a house in Manitou Springs were the Mate Factor was.
Next: Pikes Peak, close to heaven…