“When I questioned my upbringing, challenged my parents on it and opened up to my wife about the neglect and damage that was done to me as a child, they committed me to a mental asylum where I was drugged.”

Feel free to get in touch! 🙏🏻https://t.co/7CjOV4th7e pic.twitter.com/2vKlAOIYQ0

— Daniel Schmitz (@schmitzdaniel) November 24, 2022

My wife tells me that I often scream in my sleep from nightmares, but I don’t remember what they are about, but from the words I shout out it’s clear it’s me still fighting my abuser in my sleep.

— Daniel Schmitz (@schmitzdaniel) December 21, 2022

I distanced myself more and more from God and got so lost in my mind and computers and alcohol and any pleasure to try and get away from this deep excruciating pain. Even now I struggle to look at it.

— Daniel Schmitz (@schmitzdaniel) December 21, 2022

Thank you especially to my mentors Paul Waugh @PaulWaugh64 and Chris Nash @chrisnash1 and my surrogate family in Christ @MentorshipCoach and @RespondinChrist for your love and support and for helping me to start to build a relationship with Christ for the first time in my life🙏

— Daniel Schmitz (@schmitzdaniel) December 21, 2022

This was exactly what I experienced from Peter Nash, who is supposed to be a parent to me. Typical Narc silent treatment & disowning from him! This image is a typical interaction with malignant toxic families that we come from who are trying to destroy us to hide their own evil🙏 pic.twitter.com/tlmv6GMOd6

— Chris Nash (@chrisnash1) November 17, 2022

Bless you Paul. You’re very sensitive and empathic towards the suffering of others. Something I’ve valued greatly about your mentorship and as a brother is that you have walked a journey with me. You don’t sprout high level advise from a low emotional base. You’re in the trenches

— Shaun Cooper (@ardent_student) October 9, 2022

I was on my knees and could not turn to my own family or “friends”! I knew they could not help! You were the only one willing to listen, willing to be honest and candid! May God Bless you Paul! What a journey! The hatred for you, me, us and our work has only escalated! 🙏 x x

— Warren Vaughan (@WarrenVaughan11) October 13, 2022

I had a very secular & basic upbringing. Lacking any instruction or guidance on principles, value or character I went into 'adult' life totally emotionally and spiritually immature and unprepared for life. When I started to change this in later life my family scorned me for it😔

— Kris Deichler (@KrisDeichler) December 18, 2022

My mentor Paul is not a perfect man by his own admission. He’s been a father to me since the age of 24 when my own dad walked out at 7. I didn’t realise I was just a traumatised child inside pretending to be an adult. He helped me meet Christ @PaulWaugh64 https://t.co/MV3QMcWYW7

— Jai Singh (@JaiSinghmentor) December 15, 2022

Silent treatment/manipulation/disowning & abandonment…I know it well with the female who gave birth to me that I can no longer call Mum or Mother. This is just one of many dark messages I have received once I started to find my voice & say I WILL NOT ignore her abuse of me…

— Stasia Simpson (@StasiaSSimpson) November 17, 2022

Thank you for sharing James. 🙏🏻 I know that feeling myself, may times I have been standing by at the side of a busy road and thinking “would anyone notice if I walked out?” What I was searching for was #family, to be part of something bigger than myself.

— Ed Zapp (@LighthouseZapp) December 16, 2022

What I love most about @PaulWaugh64 is that he is real and raw with us where we most need it 🙏 as he is with himself, where he most needs it! https://t.co/oI2PA60giz #dedicationtoreality #mentorship #family #sinfulnature #beliefinChrist

— Jessica Holder (@jesslholder_) December 16, 2022

Facing the truth of what my parents did & didn't give me is the most painful & liberating thing I have done. Speaking to my dad about what he couldn't give me because of what he didn't get in his upbringing was extremely challenging because I dared to express the impact on me. pic.twitter.com/ktlbpPJSVX

— James Mills (@jssmills) December 15, 2022

Sometimes the truth isn't convenient to hear for some people. It doesn't match the delusion of who they believe they are and prefer to block, move away from it rather than sit with it, question,learn, grow. Pray for them🙏

— Sean Tiernan (@SeanTie16305856) December 3, 2022

“A #parent can’t be all things to their child” As a child I was expecting the world from my parents but the reality is they’re two people and they couldn’t raise me on their own, it does take a village to #raise a child. The power of #community https://t.co/wC1i1YGuNZ

— Jack Comer (@JackLighthouse) February 4, 2022

Oh this truth has been so shocking for me as a parent! My past rationalisations to justify why I was indeed exactly this parent to my children were so damaging to all! Their father Peter Nash & I had a deep shame filled sense of unworthiness that fuelled the decisions we made🧵 https://t.co/J6OyJlY9pa

— Valerie MacDonald Nash (@macdonaldnash7) November 27, 2022

Yes, they may really be malignantly toxic. Yes, leaving is actually an option. Not all families are worth our loyalty by virtue of blood alone, nor at the expense of our own health and growth

— Vivienne (@vvnclaire) October 20, 2022

Birth dad after 25 years of being absent: “Why don’t you call me your father?”

Surrogate dad after asking him to help me: “I am going to help you find your voice. You have a lot of potential”#surrogatefamilies #toxicparents #fathers

— Sukhraj Singh (@Lighthouse_Sukh) December 8, 2022

Thank you Paul. I can see my level of embarrassment of my parents, who they were and what they did. I realise why my level of immaturity is there, lack of upbringing. Very little emotional or spiritual intelligence. I pray I can and will become more mature in myself 🙏🏻🕊

— Diane Cubitt (@dianecubitt1967) December 13, 2022

I know because I have experienced this growing up with limited access to my father (due to his job) and neither parent emotionally capable of raising me as their child. It is difficult to accept this as ‘abuse’ because as a grown up I knew of no other possibility.

— Tom Hasker (@tom_hasker) November 29, 2022

You know when you come from a toxic home when you get to a point you refuse to be spoken 'at' like a robot by your mother and in response you are told to f-off… That is what you get when you stopped playing the teenager role...

— Anthony Antoine (@MentorandCoach) November 30, 2022

I published 'What Paul Waugh from
Lighthouse International has taught
me about the power of service'#Lighthouse #PaulStephenWaugh #PATT#GROUNDSWELL #service#AbsoluteTruth #BrollyBrave 🐻🌎#helpourchildrenandvulnerable https://t.co/akNKpKBasS

— Olivia Humphries (@LivHumphries01) November 6, 2022

Ever thought about what gets in your way? I’ve felt very stuck in my life. It comes down to how I see (or don’t see) problems, being part of the problem! I’m learning to be a #problemsolver, shifting the focus from being stuck to looking for solutions & opportunities through them https://t.co/BHmABuefo8

— Gillian Watson (@GillbeanW) December 10, 2022

Thank you so much for your help and support with how to put negative nonsense like this in its place! I have lived life in such fear of the next negative comment / judgement, afraid of bullies - these are lessons I and we ought to be learning at school - Growing up 🙏❣️

— Zach Jones (@Zach_Lighthouse) October 5, 2022

There's a lot I have had to face in myself in the last two years. Although the lifelong journey of getting an upbringing & growing up is long & hard, sometimes looking back at what I & others like me have been through & how far we have come gives me hope https://t.co/AV5xNuaFkQ

— Mel Francis (@mel_boots) December 10, 2022

Who am I? For years I wanted/tried to be a ‘better’ version of myself - a personal brand I hid behind, scared and confused. Now I see and love the child I am and God created. With and through Christ and his Body I am finally growing up. Thank you @PaulWaugh64 @Mentorshipcoach https://t.co/ebUIHd3Uj9

— Victoria Bytel (@BytelVictoria) December 10, 2022

Coming from an Islamic family I didn't know the difference between righteousness and revenge.I battled with separating my own selfish needs to the perfect righteousness of our Lord. My mentor @PaulWaugh64 helped me see that my attitude towards wrongdoing and reality is the start https://t.co/bIKWH7I3hV

— Asif Ali Valiji (@AValiji) December 9, 2022

I ask these questions!! I'm so glad that I have mentors such as @PaulWaugh64 as well as wisdom available on the internet/books. But personal mentors are much more effective because they know the delusions their mentees say to themselves - the internet/books remain impersonal! https://t.co/MahLyvaBFA

— Absolute TruthSeeker (@jatindersingh10) December 18, 2022

I see the lack of maturity in me across the board. I’m looking at these areas and recognise the need to work on them and not shy away as I have done pretty much all of my life. What a blessing it is to have Christ in my life as THE mentor, coach, counsellor, leader and teacher 🙏

— Lee Frimston (@LeeFrimston) October 3, 2022

Thank you to our Lighthouse brothers and sisters in Christ for your love and support. May God bless you from me and the children.@PaulWaugh64,@JaiSinghmentor,@chrisnash1,@schmitzdaniel@LivHumphries01,@jssmills,@vvnclaire
,@Lighthouse_Sukh,@AValiji,@StasiaSSimpson,@isanga_ansoni pic.twitter.com/MVaegQS0VA

— Vision of Hope childcare foundation (@visionofhope256) December 27, 2022