Tears of the Silenced: A True Crime and an American Tragedy; Severe Child Abuse and Leaving the Amish

In this memior the author writes in detail about the horrors she sustained at the hands of her mother, stepfather and the hands of the Amish church. After her mother meets up with her step- father when she is at the young age of four, she and her younger sister are whisked away from their father to begin a life of solitude and sorrow. Here they are succumbed to severe physical and mental torture, sexual abuse and isolation from the rest of the world. Day by day Misty and her sister are brainwashed into believing that dressing and living like the Amish is the only way to get into heaven. Fourteen years later after unspeakable torture and constant threats against their lives Misty and her sister are taken to an Amish community in rural Minnesota. Here they learn german, are made to change their names and eventualy become baptized members. Eighteen year old Misty breathes a sigh of releif no longer haveing to fear her stepfather will kill her. This is short lived however when she finds herself refuseing to be silenced. This ancient tradition in wich Amish sex abuse victims are made to forgive their atackers and continue to live life as normal. If the victim refuses to be quiet about the incident they are paid a visit by the ministers in which they are harshly reprimanded and if they still refuse to be silenced they are shunned until they comply.. After Misty is attacked by the Bishop of her church she refuses to be silenced and involves the local law enforment. When she refuses to recant her police report she is then shunned by the Amish church. This sends her reeling out into the modern world with out any ID or social security number and only a second grade education. However Misty meets these setbacks head on as she prepares to embrace her life long dream of becomeing a medical missionary. In the last few chapters you will follow Misty as she gets her GED, deals with severe PTSD and nightmares, tries to get her sister out of the Amish and is met by the local minister "When Misty was six years old her family started to live and dress like the Amish. Misty and her sister were kept as slaves on a mountain ranch where they were subjected to almost complete isolation, sexual abuse and extreme physical violence. Their step-father kept a loaded rifle by the door at all times to make sure the young girls were too terrified to try to escape. They also knew that no rescue would ever come because only a couple of people even knew they existed and did not know them well enough to care. When Misty reached her teens, her parents feared she and her sister would escape and took them to an Amish community where they were adopted and became baptized members. Misty was devastated to once again find herself in a world of fear, animal cruelty and sexual abuse. Going to the police was severely frowned upon. A few years later, Misty was sexually assaulted by the bishop. As Misty recalls, "Amish sexual abusers are only shunned by the church for six weeks, a punishment that never seems to work. After I was assaulted by the bishop I knew I had to get help and one freezing morning in early March I made a dash for a tiny police station in rural Minnesota. After reporting the bishop I left the Amish and found myself plummeted into the strange modern world with only a second-grade education and no ID or social security card. To all abuse survivors out there, please be encouraged, the cycle of abuse can be broken. Today, I am a nursing student working towards my master's degree and a child abuse awareness activist. This is my story.""-- Amazon.com. When I was six years old my family started to dress like the Amish. My sister and I were kept like prisoners on a mountain ranch where we were isolated and severely abused. In my late teens, I attempted to escape and my parents took us to an Amish community where we were adopted and became baptized members. I was devastated to once again find myself in a world of fear, sexual abuse, and other crimes. Going to the police was severely frowned upon. A few years later I was sexually assaulted by the bishop, I knew I needed outside help, terrified and confused I made a dash for a tiny police station in rural Minnesota. As a result, the Amish bishop fled into Canada and I was plummeted out into the strange modern world with only a second-grade education and no form of Identification. Author’s Note- To everyone out there, I beg you to never turn a blind eye towards child abuse or think someone else will report it. You could be that child’s last chance, be a hero and report ( National Child Abuse Hotline 1-800-422-4453)-Misty Griffin