S305: The Prophet - Brazil and the Word of Faith Cult

Published: Oct. 24, 2018, 4:17 a.m.

b'Did you know that the Word of Faith Fellowship has nearly 2,000 members internationally? They have affiliate churches all over the world including Brazil, Sweden, Scotland, and other countries.\\nBrazil is by far the biggest territory ruled under Jane Whaley\\u2019s kingdom. They have churches in two southeastern Brazilian cities. The first church is in Soa Joaquim de Bicas which is about 6 hours north of Rio de Janeiro. They also have second church in Franco de Rocha which is an hour outside of Sao Paulo.\\n\\nJane conquers Brazil and offers them salvation\\nFor a few lucky Brazilians, Jane blessed them with more than just salvation\\u2014an opportunity to live in the United States.\\xa0Ana Albuquerque told the Associated Press that when she first arrived in Spindale, church members showered her with love. She said, "The first time you go, they treat you well. But afterwards, they start treating you bad.\\u201d Ana says things turned ugly fast. She claims she worked full time as a teacher\\u2019s assistant and baby sat church member\\u2019s children at night\\u2013all without pay. Then the physical abuse started. Ana says that Jane and another minister spanked her with a wooden stick. She told the AP they blasted her with a screaming prayer because she was \\u201cunclean\\u201d and possessed by the devil. And we\\u2019re not talking a small tap on the butt kind of spank. Ana says the beatings lasted for at least 40 minutes. She finally was allowed to return to Brazil and has since left the church.\\n\\n16 Brazilians come forward\\n\\u201cIt was a horror living there,\\u201d says Rebecca Mello. Her dreams of freedom quickly turned into a nightmare. She told the Associated Press that she was brought to the US in 2009 on a student visa. Immediately after she got here, church leaders took her passports and her money, and was quickly put to work. "We\\u2019re made to get up early, make the kids breakfast, cook, do their beds, pick up the the laundry.\\u201d Thiago Silva says, "We were there working, but we never got paid. If you\\u2019re not paid for something, even for your food, I would say that you\\u2019re a slave."\\nAll in all, 16 Brazilian\\u2019s have come forward to share their personal story of abuse and enslavement.\\n\\xa0\\nTrue Crime Podcast Festival | Chicago 2019\\nAlso, I am excited to announce that Pretend Radio is going to be attending the first annual True Crime Podcast Festival on July 13, 2019 in Chicago! Trust me, start planning now. It\\u2019s worth traveling to. This is your chance to mingle with podcasters you listen to regularly. There will also be live episode recordings as well as panel discussions. In fact, I\\u2019m speaking in one of them.\\nGo to the website TCPF2019.com to find information on tickets and the hotel.\\nMany people have been writing me and sharing their stories. If you have a story to share, shoot me an email at info@pretendradio.org or follow me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.\\nToday\\u2019s episode was edited by the talented Molly Clay. Our theme music was composed by Joe Basile with thechicken.net.\\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices'