Author Topic: Shepherd's Hill Farm- Martin, GA  (Read 12546 times)

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Offline Ursus

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Re: Shepherd's Hill Farm- Martin, GA
« Reply #45 on: November 30, 2009, 02:28:54 PM »
Quote from: "Guest"
I have updated the wiki and also sent my story to HEAL.
That list of abusive things that happened is a list I created and posted on the Richard Dawkins forum about SHF.  I am going to tell other ex students about these websites.
A fantastic job updating the Wiki:

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Shepherds Hill Farm

Shepherd's Hill Farm is a behavior modification facility marketed as a Christian Boarding School located on 2200 Price Road, Martin, Georgia 30557 [1]

This is a "wilderness therapy program" run by a christian fundamentalist and cult leader Trace Embry and his wife Beth Embry. Parental Guardianship is signed over to Trace and a $58,900 tuition a year is paid. At the entrance to Shepherds hill farm is the Embrys house and some other trailers. However about a mile or so down into the forest, away from the eyes of the public and of the parents, is the giant boys camp site, about half a mile or so away in the woods is the girls camp.

The children are forced to cut down and debark trees and build very large cabins to live in with no electricity, or any type of building knowledge, as well as for future students to live in. The students live in these cabins everyday out of the year and in all weather conditions (I did for well over a year)with one tiny wood burning stove per cabin. The wood burning stove adds little to no heat for the size of cabin. Parents were forced to buy their kids expensive sleeping bags for the winter if they wanted their kids to be warm.

The children have no communication with the outside world, or with anyone of the opposite sex. Phone calls home are very rare and visits even less so. All phone calls and letters going in and out are monitored and edited, and limited to 5 minutes. Kids are repeatedly told they are horrible people who will burn in hell forever if not saved and no longer sinful. Homosexuals are mocked and made fun of and made to look like terrible people to the students, as well as any religion other then Christianity. Kids are told that their parents are horrible people and have failed them and that Trace is now their parent. They are also taught in "science" class that evolution is a lie from satan and forced to watch Kent Hovind all day. Other classes included very basic math and reading from the bible.

Kids are punished for any type of "inappropriate behavior". Food deprivation is used in the form of what they call "special meals". Special meals consist of feeding the child a can of some type of cold green vegetable and one can of cold beans with some water. Students are told that this is a perfectly healthy vegan diet and not illegal or abuse. Kids lose pounds and pounds of weight after being on special meals for months. Some children were also taunted with candy bars. One student was forced to sit in a room with candy bars around him in a circle. He was told if any were missing in 2 hours he would be punished. He had already been on special meals for a couple months and looked like a skeleton. When we came back he had eaten a few of the candy bars, even though he cried and screamed he didn't. He was beat, yelled at and given more special meals. Trace made his parents even continue feeding him special meals over Christmas break, including Christmas dinner. "Regular" food is food from food banks and expired milk that the children cook over a stove in the woods at their camp site. They are forced to work for hours and hours in the extreme GA heat or in the extreme cold with rain or snow. They use spanking with a paddle, often leaving bruises for a week or more. Sometimes children are spanked in front of other students or in front of all students and employs. Kids are talked out of taking their medication, and no real nurse nor medical staff is on campus. I witnessed two children have seizures in which Trace and staff held down the student praying for demons to leave them instead of giving the child medicine or calling a medical professional. Sleep deprivation by being woken up in the middle of the night to work. Punished and humiliated publicly for not being able to complete the extreme exercise and manual labor. If a child is told to run a mile or do a number of pushups, and cant make it all the way the student must start over and do it again until finished , and is usually given more punishments in the form of spanking or special meals.

Children are humiliated in front of everyone. One girl was sent to SHF after being raped at her highschool. When the girl got to SHF, Trace asked her in front of everyone if she knew what a whore was. The girl responded "someone who sleeps around with everyone?", and Trace replied "Don't you think you fit the bill of being a whore?" She was then punished by being made to hold two heavy things out to her sides in the snow. If she dropped them down at all she had to start over.

Very much abuse goes on in this place. It needs to be investigated and shut down, otherwise Trace will continue harming children and putting families in debt for the rest of their lives. Trace was supposed to give me therapeutic help, and yet he just used me and the others for abuse and child labor and took all of my families money. I have spoken with other ex students all who have had to undergo years and years worth of psychological help to overcome wounds SHF left them.

They can detain an unknown number of youth of both genders aged 13 to 18.

They offer two residential programs with a length of one year and two years.

This school also offers to have "bounty hunters" pick up your child and bring them to the farm for you. I was picked up by two "bounty hunters" in savannah, GA and brought to the farm. I figured I better not fight the police, they wanted to handcuff me and ankle cuff me.

Program Structure

SHF Wilderness Program

This one year program functions on the basis of positive peer culture (pressure).

The teenagers lives in primitive shelters in the wood, that they build with no electricity or running water, nor proper building knowledge or supervision. Communication with parents is very little and monitored as well. Parents are assured SHF is a wonderful place, and so are visitors. However, parents and visitors are never shown the camps or what really goes on there. Everything they do and all abuse, is done in the name of Jesus and the bible. Trace sees himself as a saint and someone who performs miracles and saves kids lives. He is simply a cult leader with a following in his tiny town. [2].

The Next Step Program

This program can be an extention of the first program. The teenagers are moved to a campus where they can earn privileges like TV and video games, which they have missed the previous year. Also dependent on their progress they can earn the right to a (only happened once) driver's license and a (once)job in the local neighborhood. The students are still punished, and still monitored in the same way. The only difference is that they are allowed to sleep in a house with no heating or insulation, use electricity and watch very little tv. [3].

Education

While I was a student there they had a college student teaching classes. They were unaccredited but became accredited. However before and after the education was horrible. Children are taught evolution is an absolute lie, created by evil secularists. They are forced to watch Kent Hovind videos in "science class" and do absolutely no real science. They offered us elementary mathematics, and reading from the bible. I told my teacher what plate tectonics was and he thought I made it up. He finally believed me when one other student said she remembered hearing about plate tectonics in her public high school.

Living Condition

The first year the teenagers live in very primitive log shelthers that students build themselves with no modern comfort. They also work all day in the heat and extreme cold, in the mud and dirt. They receive only a couple 5-10 minute showers a week. Those who are transferred to the Next Step program live under more humane conditions.

External Links

Info pages
Groups
Message bords

References



Categories: Georgia | Therapeutic Boarding School | Therapeutic Boarding School in Georgia
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »
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Offline Anonymous

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Re: Shepherd's Hill Farm- Martin, GA
« Reply #46 on: November 30, 2009, 04:25:00 PM »
Ursus, we need you on that Wiki.

No more bear shit about "anyone can edit it". Programmies try, regularly. They get reverted. We need information, reports, and evidence on that thing, and last I checked you were the reigning champion of all three.
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »

Offline Anonymous

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Re: Shepherd's Hill Farm- Martin, GA
« Reply #47 on: December 11, 2009, 11:16:14 AM »
John or Yahar has a vendetted out and is trying to get anyone to listen. He was I think on
Scholarship somewhat and it wasn't even close to 58,ooo. I think back then. I keep in contact
With a lot of kids that went through and didn't have any of his complaints.  It's just he's
Gone to the darkside now and anyone or anything Christian he can't stand.  His parents chose
To pay them. They certainly didn't go looking for John. And I won't get into a war of words - just leaving
This comment and won't be back to spar.
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »

Offline Anonymous

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Re: Shepherd's Hill Farm- Martin, GA
« Reply #48 on: December 13, 2009, 12:28:13 PM »
Quote from: "Another Student"
John or Yahar has a vendetted out and is trying to get anyone to listen. He was I think on
Scholarship somewhat and it wasn't even close to 58,ooo. I think back then. I keep in contact
With a lot of kids that went through and didn't have any of his complaints.  It's just he's
Gone to the darkside now and anyone or anything Christian he can't stand.  His parents chose
To pay them. They certainly didn't go looking for John. And I won't get into a war of words - just leaving
This comment and won't be back to spar.

you're to much of a coward to tell us your name.  Youre full of lies just like the programs, dont expect anyone to believe you.  Being against child abuse and fraud has nothing to do with "the dark side" thats star wars. Abusing children, neglecting them, and committing fraud is evil.  You can claim it didn't cost that much but that is a lie.  I guess you can argue with my lawyer eh?
Brainwashed fool.

There are sworn statements by ex students from SHF out now.  I also keep in contact with students and I know of 4 who claim child abuse happened there.  You are probably Emy.  The child of the abusive nurse from SHF.  Fuck off.
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Offline Anonymous

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Re: Shepherd's Hill Farm- Martin, GA
« Reply #49 on: December 13, 2009, 02:07:09 PM »
Quote
you're to much of a coward to tell us your name. Youre full of lies just like the programs, dont expect anyone to believe you. Being against child abuse and fraud has nothing to do with "the dark side" thats star wars. Abusing children, neglecting them, and committing fraud is evil. You can claim it didn't cost that much but that is a lie. I guess you can argue with my lawyer eh?  Brainwashed fool.

There are sworn statements by ex students from SHF out now. I also keep in contact with students and I know of 4 who claim child abuse happened there. You are probably Emy. The child of the abusive nurse from SHF. Fuck off.

This website does not gerate allot of traffic because people tell others to fuck off on a consistant basis.[/b]
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Offline Ursus

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Re: Shepherd's Hill Farm- Martin, GA
« Reply #50 on: December 13, 2009, 02:35:24 PM »
Quote from: "Another Student"
John or Yahar has a vendetted out and is trying to get anyone to listen. He was I think on
Scholarship somewhat and it wasn't even close to 58,ooo. I think back then. I keep in contact
With a lot of kids that went through and didn't have any of his complaints. It's just he's
Gone to the darkside now and anyone or anything Christian he can't stand. His parents chose
To pay them. They certainly didn't go looking for John. And I won't get into a war of words - just leaving
This comment and won't be back to spar.
Lol. If Yahar has "gone to the darkside now," where might that put you? The black hole of righteousness?

I can see why nobody would divulge any of their complaints to you. You don't exactly strike me as a wellspring of empathy or understanding...
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »
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Offline Ursus

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Re: Shepherd's Hill Farm- Martin, GA
« Reply #51 on: December 13, 2009, 02:38:34 PM »
Quote from: "This website does not gerate allot of traffic"
This website does not gerate allot of traffic because people tell others to fuck off on a consistant basis.
Mmm. Sometimes for good reason.
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Offline derpederpe

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Re: Shepherd's Hill Farm- Martin, GA
« Reply #52 on: January 11, 2010, 12:51:55 AM »
It seems a the director of SHF edited the wiki. Did anyone back it up?
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Offline Ursus

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Re: Shepherd's Hill Farm- Martin, GA
« Reply #53 on: January 11, 2010, 01:19:24 AM »
Quote from: "derpederpe"
It seems a the director of SHF edited the wiki. Did anyone back it up?
It can be reverted back to the previous version.

The vandalism:

    Shepherds Hill Farm

    For all you hurting parents, allow me to share with you the heart of Shepherd's Hill Farm. At SHF, our preeminent objective is to obey God each and every day in our own private and professional lives. As director, it is my main priority to encourage all our staff to live their lives congruent with the biblical model. What God does through his obedient creation never ceases to amaze me, our staff, and especially the parents of our residents.

    The results are astonishing, as teens' lives transform before everyone's eyes. As hard as it is to believe, even the physical characteristics of the kids change as spiritual, emotional, psychological, and behavioral changes develop. It is, then, our goal to bring the entire family into stride with Christ's will and way. He is the glue that holds families and everything else together. We, at SHF, understand there is a spiritual dimension to the human experience that, if not addressed, negates the full effectiveness of any kind of therapeutic approach to healing.

    When it comes to the transformation of troubled, struggling, or teens in crisis, our experience has proven that more is caught than taught. Kids submit to authority better when their authority figures are observed submitting to an Authority greater than themselves.

    The constant stimulation of God's love, truth, nurture, and discipline in an authoritative, outdoor, or wilderness-type environment, trains a child's appetites to hunger for more wholesome activities. Our trained professionals are meek, but not weak. We understand the importance of discipline and its combined effectiveness with loving relationships.

    Although Shepherd's Hill Academy's Christ centered approach to education operates as any other modern school, the primitive living conditions in the woods relieve kids of the many negative cultural influences that are bombarding them from every direction today. Peer pressure is turned inside out as kids are taught to think critically about the important issues of life. Our culture's faulty thinking patterns, that promote style over substance, are exposed for what they are.

    Kids learn to discern and distinguish the difference between intelligence, knowledge, and wisdom–and how they all apply to life and reality. Kids get another chance at childhood, while learning how to properly approach and address the critical issues of adulthood. Peace and sanity return to the family as parents also learn to implement a more Christ-centered and biblically-based approach to raising teens in today's sex-charged, irreverent, entitled, post-modern and relativistic culture. SHF receives no government funding, and is uncompromising in our biblical approach to child-rearing.

    My wife, Beth, and I understand the pain involved in sending a child off to an unfamiliar place. We had the unfortunate experience of having to make the decision to terminate life support for one of our own sons. The indescribable pain of ushering a child into the presence of the Lord, we believe, was allowed by God in order that we could more empathetically identify with parents who are forced to make a similar decision. Sending one's own child to a program like Shepherd's Hill Farm for a year is commonly described by parents as being like a death.

    But, the good news is that, in the vast majority of cases, it proves to be a new birth instead. May the peace, wisdom, and will of God be with you as you seek His counsel for your family's best interest during this difficult time.

    In Christ's Love,

    Trace Embry

    Director

    Shepherd's Hill Farm
    [/list]
    « Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »
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    Offline derpederpe

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    Re: Shepherd's Hill Farm- Martin, GA
    « Reply #54 on: January 11, 2010, 12:02:26 PM »
    "The principles God uses through the Holy Spirit’s work here at SHF are supported by a two year study by the Commission on Children at Risk. The commission was birthed out of the Dartmouth Medical School, which produced findings, with empirical scientific evidence, supporting the very biblical principles by which SHF has operated from the beginning. The commission put together a book on their findings called, Hardwired to Connect–The New Scientific Case for Authoritative Communities. The book supports, with science, all that Scripture endorses through faith and obedience—including a study that produced empirical evidence for a human being’s biological need for a relationship/connection with his/her biological parents. This same study produced similar evidence for an individual’s need for a relationship/connection with his/her Creator as well!"

    Taken from neww blog on their site any info on claims?
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    Offline Pile of Dead Kids

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    Re: Shepherd's Hill Farm- Martin, GA
    « Reply #55 on: January 12, 2010, 02:50:52 PM »
    Watching that little bitch Trace try to constantly revert back to his crap is funny, but annoying.
    « Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »
    ...Sergey Blashchishen, James Shirey, Faith Finley, Katherine Rice, Ashlie Bunch, Brendan Blum, Caleb Jensen, Alex Cullinane, Rocco Magliozzi, Elisa Santry, Dillon Peak, Natalynndria Slim, Lenny Ortega, Angellika Arndt, Joey Aletriz, Martin Anderson, James White, Christening Garcia, Kasey Warner, Shirley Arciszewski, Linda Harris, Travis Parker, Omega Leach, Denis Maltez, Kevin Christie, Karlye Newman, Richard DeMaar, Alexis Richie, Shanice Nibbs, Levi Snyder, Natasha Newman, Gracie James, Michael Owens, Carlton Thomas, Taylor Mangham, Carnez Boone, Benjamin Lolley, Jessica Bradford's unnamed baby, Anthony Parker, Dysheka Streeter, Corey Foster, Joseph Winters, Bruce Staeger, Kenneth Barkley, Khalil Todd, Alec Lansing, Cristian Cuellar-Gonzales, Janaia Barnhart, a DRA victim who never even showed up in the news, and yet another unnamed girl at Summit School...

    Offline Ursus

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    Re: Shepherd's Hill Farm- Martin, GA
    « Reply #56 on: January 12, 2010, 04:29:52 PM »
    Quote from: "Pile of Dead Kids"
    Watching that little bitch Trace try to constantly revert back to his crap is funny, but annoying.
    I'd say he's kinda like the Energizer bunny, banging his righteous godly drum...
    « Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »
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    Offline Anonymous

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    Re: Shepherd's Hill Farm- Martin, GA
    « Reply #57 on: January 14, 2010, 07:50:18 PM »
    WAY OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE ABOUT 60 MILES FROM WHERE I'M AT, (NO. WEST GEORGIA).
    GREAT PLACE TO DO YOUR BUSINESS OF CORPORAL PUNISHMENT. SEEMS ALL THESE PLACES ARE
    WAY OUT OFF THE BEATEN TRACK.
    YA KNO THE MOVIE W/ THE BANJO, BACK IN THE 70"s W/ BURT AND THE BOYS. DAR DAR DURN DURN DURN DURN....
    SUM'IN LIK DAT.
    GOT A FREIND THAT HAS INFO ON THIS PLACE, I'LL GET OR HAVE HIM POST IT.                :shamrock:
    « Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »

    Offline Pile of Dead Kids

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    Re: Shepherd's Hill Farm- Martin, GA
    « Reply #58 on: January 15, 2010, 12:42:12 PM »
    Better question, what would it take to get the cops involved with this one?

    Or is that part of Georgia just that corrupt?
    « Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »
    ...Sergey Blashchishen, James Shirey, Faith Finley, Katherine Rice, Ashlie Bunch, Brendan Blum, Caleb Jensen, Alex Cullinane, Rocco Magliozzi, Elisa Santry, Dillon Peak, Natalynndria Slim, Lenny Ortega, Angellika Arndt, Joey Aletriz, Martin Anderson, James White, Christening Garcia, Kasey Warner, Shirley Arciszewski, Linda Harris, Travis Parker, Omega Leach, Denis Maltez, Kevin Christie, Karlye Newman, Richard DeMaar, Alexis Richie, Shanice Nibbs, Levi Snyder, Natasha Newman, Gracie James, Michael Owens, Carlton Thomas, Taylor Mangham, Carnez Boone, Benjamin Lolley, Jessica Bradford's unnamed baby, Anthony Parker, Dysheka Streeter, Corey Foster, Joseph Winters, Bruce Staeger, Kenneth Barkley, Khalil Todd, Alec Lansing, Cristian Cuellar-Gonzales, Janaia Barnhart, a DRA victim who never even showed up in the news, and yet another unnamed girl at Summit School...

    Offline Anonymous

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    Re: Shepherd's Hill Farm- Martin, GA
    « Reply #59 on: January 15, 2010, 03:33:29 PM »
    Quote from: "Pile of Dead Kids"
    Better question, what would it take to get the cops involved with this one?
    Or is that part of Georgia just that corrupt?

    I a'reckon if yu in de God bis'nis yu ar wit de po'lic.....UM uh that rite.....Mr. Boss'man from Shepards Hill.
    We go'in to find out a'bou yu, real quik now......I gar-en-tee just like dat cag'in cook rom naw'lins.
    Gon'a get'cha .......dar dar durn durn durn.......ban'jo com'in......yeehawww.....gits sum son........
    EH UMMMM Excuse me,
    Damn near lost my mind....were in the process of getting info....not that it's my job...but hey I live
    right up the road....so why not help.        Danny
    « Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »