I am posting this from Joy's blog about Sandy Caven as there has been some discussion about her lately.
Sandy was one of the first people I met from the Spiritual Rights Foundation. She was truly a good person and when I later found out how they were working her so hard, I was shocked. Of course I did not know that until after I left, but I knew she was always kept running from place to place at the bidding of the leaders.
She never told me she had MS. I did know there was something going on with her health, though. I thought it was just overwork. Now I know better.
Sandy endured so much physical pain to please her leaders, going so far as to clean houses for a living while running from San Jose to Berkeley to Bethel Island and back again over and over.
Sandy once told me about at time she was running around doing Bill's bidding and somehow was unable to come to SRF headquarters when Bill demanded it. He punishment was to be "defrocked" and excluded from teaching or any contact with students. I'm not sure what else they made her do, but I would believe she did all of it faithfully. I guess her belief in serving others - the same belief we all held, was stronger than her need for her own well being.
That belief in service was not only her downfall, but it was her true blessing. Sandy was always grateful for anything she received from someone no matter how small.
I remember taking care of her computer for her and her being so grateful for the help. I replace her broken hard drive with a spare I had lying around. It made all the difference and her expression was one I will always remember.
I know she was married when she entered SRF and like so many other unions, it was torn apart at the demand of the leaders. Her next marriage was arranged by the leaders as well. It didn't last.
When she was later hospitalized for MS, the leaders (Debi, Robin and Angela) went to see her for some reason. After the visit, the leaders gathered the faithful around and told everyone Sandy was just looking for sympathy, she's just a complainer and that is what landed her in the hospital. As an example, they said Sandy pressed the nurse call button and asked for something. While speaking they were laughing and giggling. It was disgusting.
Often, when someone is sick, SRF rallies to conduct "healing" rituals and prayer. Not in Sandy's case. She was just forgotten, left there on her own. Left for dead.
This sad information is hard to write about but important.
Were it not for our own sense of self-preservation we may have suffered the same fate.
Please don't let this tale keep you from your own sense of service. Please keep giving to real charities and keep serving others as you can. It's more of a tale of how the crooked and dishonest take advantage only of those with a good heart.
And those people are people like you.
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From Joy's blog: My Life at the Spiritual Rights Foundation Cult.
Sandy Caven was one of the directors at the Spiritual Rights Foundation Cult.
She had MS, but all the same Bill, Angela, Robin worked her as hard as her body could take and then racked her over the coals if she complained.
She was a sweet, dear, lovable woman who I took to immediately.
I did not understand at the time why she worked so hard, why she drove from one branch of the school to the other and then back again. I thought as people taught me to think that it was her fault she did so much that she was always in pain. Now I know better the poor woman was being worked to death by the lead "ministers" of the church.
She left the church some time ago, I am not sure when. Maybe 8,9 or 10 years ago. I was sad to here she was gone and don't remember them saying much about it. I was upset when hearing the bishop saying cold, harsh comments about her with her usual smile and happy go lucky attitude that seldom seemed to fit the circumstances.
She died about 4-5 months ago due to her MS. She stayed with her son for a while but then had to move out, don't know all the details.
These picture was taken January 8, 1999. I had her show her beautiful hands. She had such elegant long fingers and she did her own manicure. She always had perfect nails. That was her one luxury. I don't know how she did it since she worked as a house cleaner like half of the woman at the church did so they could be at the beck and call of the leaders to do stuff.
I would spend allot of time with her helping her with the tapes (audio recordings for Health and Wealth). She was so patient and kind to me. I believed that if anyone there could be an angel, she could be.
I feel horrible that she had such a horrible life and she had to suffer such a debilitating disease. I hate the fact that she got beat up at the church when she complained about her pain or wanted understanding that she was tired and maybe was doing to much.
I don't know what her life was like after she left the church. I hope, no I know it must have been better in some way even if her body was deteriorating more and more.
I pray she is resting now and has servants of her own if there is a heaven.
As the writer above said so well Sandy was a good person and loved to serve. I was a good friend to her in many ways. We served together for a long time at the Santa Clara academy. But I also bought into the SRF way of seeing near the end, so I was impatient with her, and unfaily looked at her as a person that was seeking sympathy. In fact she really was ill and needed help.
ReplyDeleteI pray that she and God will forgive me for this. I tried to tell her this once when I saw her on a singles website (that I was on also). But she didn't respond, which is understandable. She probably died not too long after this. So I say it here as a memorial.
May the presence of the Lord give you the fulfillment you always yearned for.