Stories

We are honored to present the story of a young couple who have found self-sufficiency through hard work and sheer determination.

Calvin came to us from the FLDS a few years ago. He was not in a good head space, and through therapy and support, he is now a thriving, independent young man.

My journey with HOH began after I woke up one morning in agonizing tears and paralyzed by fear, guilt, and shame. The memories that woke me up were new to me and I did not understand what was going on in me.

It was the summer of 2012 and Nathan showed up after leaving the FLDS with his 5 children in tow. He had never taken care of his children alone and his wife, who had left years earlier could not be found. ⁠

Daniel, was born into the FLDS polygamist community. He was homeschooled until he was in the 7th grade and then worked all over the country doing construction as a child. When he was 16, his dad approached him and gave him an ultimatum...

Leah was 16 when she realized her life was going nowhere. She was not allowed a formal education and had only been homeschooled to the 7th grade. She longed for more. ⁠ She hitched a ride to St. George and jumped on a shuttle headed for Salt Lake City.

Deborah Lang has been tutoring Teresa, one of our young clients, for a year. Deborah has been volunteering with us for quite some time and has such a servant’s heart. She has an amazing ability to connect with kids of all ages.⁠

Joseph was only 13 when he mustered up the courage to flee from the shed he had been forced to live in for 3 months. You see, he wasn't worthy to be part of the family. He was considered rebellious for talking to apostates (those that were part of the religion but chose to leave).

It’s very hard for many in polygamous communities to leave either because they don’t know where to look for help or because they don’t have enough trust to reach out, particularly when help might come with the price tag of joining some other religious group or being involved in promoting hatred.

I left my polygamist community suddenly in response to an abusive situation. I did not have a clear plan in place as to how I would be able to take care of my four young children and myself.

I left my marriage and the polygamist group that I was raised in. I first received help from Holding Out Help a year ago when I first...

I felt so alone and crippled coming from the FLDS lifestyle with nowhere to go and no one to rely on apart from friends who had already...

Samantha was married in the Jordan Temple into the mainstream Mormon Church. Fifteen years later, when she became pregnant with her seventh child, her husband started making jokes about polygamy. Soon after, the joking became serious discussions.

Locked in a shed with a thin blanket in below freezing temperatures, Isaiah sat by the fire that he had built from scraps, fully convinced he would be dead by morning. Two years earlier, at the age of 14, Isaiah had been sent to a “house of hiding” in Wyoming with other troubled and “unworthy” FLDS boys.

Enoch was only 15 when his father came to Salt Lake City and signed over guardianship papers to the Gutzwiller Family. He was immediately enrolled in school, which was more difficult than he had anticipated.

Holdingouthelp.org has a section of their website that has different "Encouraging Stories" of various people that have come out of their...