Stolen Innocence - Lisa Pulitzer [104]
At the October 13 meeting, Uncle Warren offered us our first glimpse into the plan he had been crafting behind the scenes. In order to receive our full trust and attention, he continuously reminded us throughout the speech that he was serving as a conduit of his dead father’s wishes. His voice was even-toned and soft despite the arresting quality of his words. “I am here to do the will of the prophet,” he started. “He desires us to be more fervent and faithful. The time is short.” Again he insinuated that our faith would soon be tested. He pointed to the Book of Job from the Old Testament, in which God challenges Job’s faith with a series of difficult and painful tests. “You may not understand it,” Warren remarked. “But soon we will be tested to see who will be the ‘wise virgins’ and who will be prepared. Only the pure at heart will be able to endure.”
Warren was referring us to the parable of the ten virgins from Matthew 25, in which ten virgins set out under the cover of darkness to meet their bridegroom. On their journey, a split occurs between the “wise” virgins, who have brought extra oil for their lamps, and the “foolish” virgins, who have not. Though all ten are believers, the rift between those who are prepared and those who are not is clear. Warren wanted to determine where that split in faith existed in our church and dispose of our “foolish virgins” while there was still time.
But before the foolish virgins could be separated from the wise ones, a leader would need to be established.
To our surprise, that day Warren invited a respected elder from the congregation to the podium. The congregant had become a close devotee of Warren’s in recent years. That Saturday, we sat in the meetinghouse in rapt silence as the elder recalled an event from earlier that week, when Uncle Warren had dedicated a church farm, the land, the water, and its workers. It was imperative to receive this special blessing before establishing a home or a business. The church elder said that watching Warren perform the important ritual was like “watching Jesus Christ walk through the masses and bless the water, the fish, and the bread.”
“He’s just as holy, he’s just as pure,” the elder said of Warren. “He is the Lord’s servant. He is as his father. He does lead and guide us through him. Warren Jeffs is our leader.”
This devoted follower was the first man to stand up and declare this. Since he was a well-regarded elder, it was no surprise that Warren used him to deliver the first statement. As I sat in the meetinghouse that day, I struggled to take it in. “This is a test,” I repeated over and over in my head. I couldn’t believe that Warren Jeffs would be the next prophet. Only a few weeks prior, Warren had insisted that he had no such aspirations and that Uncle Rulon would continue to lead us.
The following week, there were more puzzling declarations in church. This time, Warren’s brother Isaac stood up and affirmed the elder’s proclamation. He told us that his father had “confidence” in Warren and wanted him to be his successor. There was a feeling of mystery circulating among the people that only grew as the weeks went by. While Warren had publicly declared that none of Uncle Rulon’s wives would be remarried, he started to arrive at church surrounded by several of them. Normally, this would indicate that the women were either sealed to him or were about to be placed by his side. The suspicion went unconfirmed, as no one dared ask about it.
I worried what this would mean for Kassandra. Before Issac’s speech, she confided in me that Uncle Warren was secretly marrying some of his father’s wives, and she was terrified that she would be next. Despite Warren’s public claims that nothing would happen to her, it seemed