Dena Dahl’s Testimony

I was the only child of J.D. and Cheryl Whitney, born on May 18, 1966. They married after my mother became pregnant with me. It was a short-lived marriage that ended after my father did not come home again after working in Northern Alberta. We ended up living in Edmonton, Alberta and my father lived in Lacombe, Alberta.

When I was six, my mother began dating George Broeffle. One night after she had an argument with her parents, with whom we lived, she sneaked out of the bedroom window with me, and I met George. She decided to take off with him and we moved to the outskirts of Calgary. My mother did not inform my father of where we had gone.

It wasn’t long before my mother became pregnant, and she gave birth to my sister, Brandy. She then had Terra about a year and a half later. She asked me if I wanted to have the same last name as my sisters, so I accepted. She changed my name, though not legally, and she also used the name Broeffle, though she and George had not married. She told me that since George was in my life, he would be my father, period. I was hurt, thinking that my own father didn’t want to have anything to do with me. He told me 30 years later that he had tried looking for me in Calgary, to no avail. I also heard that my mother had been in contact with him sporadically over the years, calling him up and taunting him, yet not giving him any way of contacting me.

George was a truck driver who was gone a good deal of the time. He started spending more time away from us and became physically abusive towards my mother. When I was in grade 4 or 5, he and my mother parted ways after he showed up at our home with his wife, whom he had married before he met my mother. He also had other girlfriends in different cities.

After he was gone, my mother decided that she wanted to do nothing more than raise her three girls. Things remained this way until I was 13. She then went out to the bar occasionally with her divorced friend, Pat Durant. One of the times they went out, she met Chuck Smyth, whom she started dating.

After their first date, she asked me what I thought of Chuck. She also said that if I didn’t want her to date him, she would not. I was torn inside, not wanting to answer “no” in case the relationship would be good for her (and it appeared to be something she wanted) and yet not being able to say “yes” after only seeing him for a minute at the door. How could a 13-year old make that determination? Although I was in turmoil over the question, I told her that it was okay with me, instead of saying that I didn’t think I was the one to make that judgment. That question and my answer haunted me for many years.

Chuck was separated from his wife and had custody of their three children, Shane, Willie and Sherry. After my mom dated him for a number of months, Chuck and his kids moved in with us. This put a real strain on our household as there were now two adults and six children living in a 2 bedroom mobile home. My mother and Chuck purchased a home across town and we moved in during August 1981. A few weeks later, the abuse of my mother started.

I was completely shaken the first time I witnessed it. My mother later came into my room and apologized for Chuck, saying that he hadn’t meant for me to see what happened. It struck me that he wasn’t at all sorry for what happened, merely that I had witnessed it.

The physical abuse started slowly, with my mother being shoved or slapped. However, it increased both in intensity and frequency to the point of it occurring weekly and lasting for hours. As the eldest child, it fell to me to determine if the police should be called; I called a few times, but was disappointed in the results.

We never, but never, discussed what was going on in our household amongst ourselves, let alone with anyone else. Instead, we simply pretended that everything was just fine, while we walked on eggshells, hoping that we would not do something that caused a fight. We never knew what would set Chuck off. While he did not abuse me physically, he was verbally and emotionally abusive. He was this way with everyone except for his daughter, Sherry, whom he idolized.

I became an emotional wreck and completely withdrew. Whereas I had once enjoyed school, I began having difficulties because I couldn’t concentrate. I worried about everything, trying to make all details perfect. I reasoned that if everything went smoothly, perhaps there would be no fighting between Chuck and my mother. I also tried to control the younger kids, but that backfired. I thought I could protect everyone if I had every situation “just so,” but instead caused dissension because I was overbearing. I developed a nervous stomach at age 17 because of all the turmoil, yet when Dr. Grover asked me what was happening in my life that caused stomach problems, my answer was “nothing.”

Occasionally I intervened in the fights, but found it was better to steer clear because it made things worse. Chuck went after me instead of my mother, and she became aggressive with him to protect me. I didn’t want to be the cause of my mother’s abuse, so I usually stayed in my room, and tried to determine whether a call to the police was warranted. I only called a handful of times, because I found the police ineffective at dealing with the situation. I don’t know what I expected them to do, but I was disappointed that they didn’t do anything. Asking my mother’s or Chuck’s friends to help us didn’t go anywhere either. They could witness the abuse and not lift a finger to help.

I was angry with my mother because she would not leave him. One evening after he threw hot coffee in her face and then threw her down at my feet, I pleaded with her to take us (my sisters and me) and leave. She wouldn’t do so, saying that she didn’t want to be alone. I often thought back to her question on whether I wanted her to date Chuck and I blamed myself for the abuse, since I didn’t tell her that she should not see him. She ended up marrying him when I was 16.

One summer afternoon, Chuck sat me down and had a talk with me. He let me know, in no uncertain terms, that if I called the police and he was charged with abuse, he would kill my mother and me. He was completely sober, and I knew that he meant his words.

After that, I was too frightened to call the police, no matter how bad the abuse. I simply listened at the door, hoping that the fighting would stop, yet worried that he was going to kill her even if I didn’t call the police. My mother yelled obscenities, telling Chuck to keep his hands off her, while the blows landed. She had her nose broken on more than one occasion.

Then came the week when Chuck completely lost control. He abused my mother two nights in a row, starting at dinner time. The second evening was when I first heard him directly threaten to kill my mother. I had a decision to make but shook with fear from what was going on. After my mother said that she couldn’t hear out of one ear, I was finally able to make a move to call the police. I sneaked out of my bedroom window and crawled around the house to the neighbors. I was certain that Chuck would kill her before the police arrived, if he saw me going for help. He broke into the house later that evening in an attempt to get my mother. The police took him out of the house both times, although he was never charged. I was very upset, blaming myself for my mother losing her hearing.

My mother and I both knew that I could no longer stay in the home. I grabbed some clothes and moved in with my friend Laura, although I never gave her any details. This wasn’t the first time I stayed with her or her family because of having to flee the house, but it was the first time that I stayed there for longer than overnight. A few weeks later I received a call from my mom, giving me the okay to come back home.

While I immediately did so, I could no longer handle being around arguing of any sort. In fact, every decision I made was a result of this fear. I stayed out late, even if only sitting in the park down the street, until the lights in our house were turned off. I stayed with my friends on the weekends just to be away from home in case something might happen. I even pretended that I had to go to work on my day off, if Chuck had the same day off. My decisions were so irrational that I even stayed with Orville Randen one night when it was the very opposite of what I wanted to do. Anything was better than being around the abuse at home, I figured.

I ended up becoming pregnant and putting up the child for adoption. As with everything in my life, I never discussed this with anyone. It was simply buried inside, and I pretended it had never happened. I pretended that everything was fine, no matter what was going on. I thought that putting up a wall would protect me, but it had the opposite effect. Not only that, but I hurt many other people because of it.

During this time, I met Cody Dahl and we started dating. Cody knew about the abuse in our house and suggested that it would be better for me to live with him than where I was. I saw Cody as my knight in shining armor. I moved in with him one weekend while my family was camping, without their knowledge, although I let them know when they were back home. It never occurred to me that I had condemned my mother for taking off with George, and yet I had done the same thing with Cody. I rationalized that it was okay because my mother and Chuck liked Cody and they were happy when we got engaged.

Cody supported me while I went to college, and we were married in 1990. I expected him to make me happy and was miserable towards him if he did something that I considered wrong. I had no care or concern for what was right or for anyone other than myself. I always justified myself and blamed someone else, usually Cody, when things went wrong, no matter what the circumstances.

In 1994, Cody began spending most of his time with his drinking friend, Mario, and I was bitter towards both of them as a result. I decided to find something to do with my time and ended up joining a running club. Instead of sitting home feeling sorry for myself, I had instant friends with whom I started spending a lot of time. At first I thought it was a great thing but it ended up being hell.

I started drinking regularly and went from running weekly with the group to also hanging out in bars after work or on weekends. I vaunted myself, thinking that I was something great because people paid attention to me and because men thought I was attractive.

Cody and I were strangers even though we lived in the same house. We rarely saw each other and usually argued if we did happen to spend some time together. We indulged in destructive habits in order to avoid what was going on in our lives. This prompted someone I knew to ask me what was going on that caused me to laugh nervously about everything and kept me from talking about life. This person saw right through me, yet I still pretended everything was fine.

The people I hung out with were very crude and we often joked about sex. I was one of the worst of them. I was very lustful and had many adulterous thoughts about men, thinking it was normal to be this way. Months later, I began committing the physical act of adultery; something I had sworn I would not do.

I drank heavily throughout this time, often becoming drunk as a means of not dealing with myself. I figured that I had consigned myself to hellfire forever, having broken one of the 10 commandments, not realizing that I had already broken all of them for all of my life. I continued in the affair for less than a year, not able to stop, yet feeling completely miserable about my behavior. I didn’t want to continue and I believe that the Lord had mercy on me to end it, although I did not know Him.

Although I stopped committing the physical act of adultery, I was still in adultery because my lustful thoughts continued. “But I say to you, that whoever looks at a woman in order to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:28).

I was a slut and it affected everything in my life. It was no wonder that Cody wanted to spend little time with me. We had blamed each other for our ills instead of accepting responsibility for our own actions. It wasn’t until I called out to the Lord a few years later that something started to change for me.

Cody stopped filing income tax returns, and he ended up in jail for a few months in 1996. While in jail, he began to read the Bible. When he got out of jail, he attended Bible study. We were still leading separate lives, the only difference being that he was attending Bible study instead of getting drunk.

He attended a few different churches from that time, and I started to feel something within me, pressing me to look for the Lord. I had been looking for happiness in external things, not realizing that life is not about career, friends or any other externals. My eyes were opening to my shallow existence and I no longer enjoyed it, so I quit the running club and stopped drinking. I decided to attend church with Cody, thinking this would be the right thing to do. We were enjoying one another’s company again.

We began attending a Branhamite church in Calgary, pastored by James Mayfield, in 1999. It was a small congregation close to home. At first, this church seemed like a real blessing. Everyone was very friendly and seemed to accept us like we were part of their family. I craved this closeness as I longed for the acceptance that I never had with my own family. I went from attending church on Sunday mornings to attending all three weekly services with Cody. In fact, it was expected that anyone who attended this church would attend all services; otherwise that person was not considered a real Christian.

On October 17, 1999, the Lord gave me an experience that no one else in this church had ever had. It was the first time I had a glimpse at the sorry state I was in. In an instant I realized what a horrible person I was, although I had thought I was pretty good. It seemed like my life was flashing before my eyes. I saw that I judged my mother and Cody very harshly for what they had done and yet I had done worse things than they had while vindicating my actions. I was not honest with myself or others in what I thought or felt. I simply clammed up whenever a situation arose and wouldn’t deal with it, instead of taking responsibility for myself. I was proud, arrogant, hypocritical, a liar, envious, full of bitterness, wanting my own way in everything, and the list goes on. I felt such sorrow in realizing what a wretch I had been and I spent a lot of time in prayer asking for the Lord’s forgiveness.

I also saw the world in a different light. I knew from this day on that things would be different. Although I had sorrow, I also felt a peace and joy that I had never experienced. I knew the Lord was real and working in my life. I mentioned my experience to my husband, the pastor - James Mayfield, and a few others in the church, expecting that everyone would have had the same experience. I quickly learned that nobody knew what I was talking about - no one had ever experienced repentance. It was as if I was from a different planet.

This church was part of “the Message,” a movement or gathering that believed in the teachings of William Branham. They were very strict, with a continual hammering home that women should never cut their hair, wear pants, or preach. At first, I wondered about it, because I had been granted repentance in spite of my having short hair and wearing pants, but, a few months afterwards, I conformed, no longer cutting my hair or wearing pants. I had been working, but that changed a few months later when the company I worked for was bought out by its largest competitor. As a woman, I was glad to no longer be a part of the workforce, as that was something else that had been looked down upon by Branhamites.

Cody had noticed a change in me right after my conversion, telling many people that he had a new woman.

However, as we both started conforming to the teachings of the church, Cody became more controlling. I was not allowed to ask questions or have a different opinion on anything. I was also not allowed to make even minor decisions, such as what to make for dinner.

I was deemed to be a rebellious, unsubmissive wife, although I could never figure out what I had specifically done to cause this determination. James, the pastor, had somehow tied me in with the fact that his wife, Marilyn, had left him, taking their youngest daughter with her. Marilyn and I had rarely spoken, other than saying hello at church, so I didn’t understand what was going on. Then, a few weeks after Marilyn left, Cody physically abused me and then went to see James. James decided that I had a “devil of divorce,” which, he surmised, must have left Marilyn and come on me. Everyone in the church believed what James said without hearing anything about the situation. He pressed me in church to testify that this is what happened and I could not do so, in spite of all the leading questions he asked.

Less than three months later, the church split over the way James was dealing with his separation. Cody and I chose to remain at the church, “standing with the Pastor,” thinking we were righteous in so doing. Cody and James grew closer as our marriage became more strained. I withdrew into myself, becoming very fearful. I was trying to be what was demanded of me by my husband and pastor, all the while becoming more confused about what was happening in my life and church.

Meanwhile, the Lord was opening my eyes to many inconsistencies in our church teachings. I was certain that something was wrong with me because everyone else believed what was taught in our church without question. I wondered why I could not see what everyone else did, Cody included. I was also stymied by Cody and wondered how he could be so abusive when he waxed so poetical about the Lord. I asked the Lord about it and He told me that Cody did not believe.

However, I resisted the thought, certain that I was a terrible Christian to think for one moment that my husband had a false profession of faith. Yet, it was the only thing that made sense of our situation. I asked the Lord what I needed to do about the abuse and was told that I needed to obey. After this, I felt at peace and grounded in my marriage, although the circumstances had not changed.

Shortly thereafter, James brought in a video course on marriage that was in direct opposition to his usual preaching. Rather than blaming women for all ills, the video course talked about strongholds that are in each person and talked about how to tear them down. This was the first time that James ever presented anything in church that came from outside the Branham circle. He began to talk about how he was to blame for many situations in his marriage, instead of putting all the blame on Marilyn.

This precipitated some changes in our church, although not with Cody and me. As a few people began to tell Cody that he was wrong, Cody was convinced more than ever that he was right. A situation came up wherein I told Cody that I felt like he was smashing me. He got very angry with me and wanted to see James. I couldn’t take dealing with James any longer and told him that James had been useless in helping us and I wasn’t willing to speak with him any more. Cody consented to see Mark and Rebekah Callahan, a couple from the church, instead.

Unbeknownst to me, Mark had wanted to meet with Cody to speak with him directly about what he had done wrong in his own marriage and what he was seeing in Cody. Cody, however, disagreed with Mark’s assessment that he was abusive and promptly called James to come over.

James would not talk with us about what had occurred. Instead, he simply railed against Mark, even though Mark was someone he had continually lauded in church because of the way he had changed and how he was able to help others deal with issues. When I pointed out that James did not ask any questions about the circumstances we faced, that was enough proof that I was the rebellious person James said that I was. This was the first time that I spoke up to James and Cody, though I didn’t say much. It gave me a feeling of peace, and I knew that things were changing, although it did not appear that way on the surface. That would come in a few months’ time.

Cody was invited to a meeting one evening in March 2003. It was at Eleanor Milinusic’s home in Bayview. He thought that a particular person had invited him, and he decided to attend. However, when he got there, he didn’t know anyone. This meeting was about the Chi Machine and Neil Voss, a scientist from Utah, told Cody that there was someone in Lethbridge that Cody ought to meet. This person was Victor Hafichuk.

Cody called Harvest Haven and started corresponding with Victor, unbeknownst to me. We were then invited to spend a weekend with them, which we did on April 24th. It was a difficult time for me because I was uncomfortable in a crowd of unknown people. I didn’t want them to ask me any questions, because I was afraid to speak about anything. At the same time, I was grateful to see the way that others shared with everyone there. I could see that was something truly lacking for me, as well as for everyone at our church.

After talking about church, with Cody thinking that he was going to convert people at the farm to our “Branhamite” way of thinking, Victor and Paul told us that we were involved in false religion. Cody tried to back up everything that he was saying and I found his answers rather odd. He was also regurgitating things I had heard James say, and they didn’t make sense. It was as if Cody was trying to show that he was very wise, but he appeared confounded or foolish. I couldn’t understand why he was saying the things that he did.

It was also the first time that I realized that I wasn’t alone in some of the things that I had been seeing. Here was a group of people that not only saw the inconsistencies, but could actually provide answers to them and many other things. What they said made sense to me and I began to wonder if I might actually be correct in what I had been seeing. They also shared what the Lord has shown them and I felt real hope just from hearing them speak. After this visit, many things in the Scriptures began to take on new meaning and I was able to see things that I previously could not, which were completely opposite to our church teaching, such as the reconciliation of all things instead of eternal torment and damnation for most of humanity.

Cody had an MP3 set of William Branham’s sermons that we would listen to on Sunday afternoons, although I occasionally fell asleep while trying to listen to them. On one particular Sunday in May 2003, Cody chose a message to listen to. Unbeknownst to us, the sermon didn’t properly record so it went to the next sermon. In this one, William Branham talked about how it was wrong for men to treat women like doormats.

Cody had a very strange reaction to it, jumping up and peering down at me on the sofa, his face a mere few inches away from mine. He then got up and looked at the MP3. We then realized that not only did the sermon he wanted to hear have an error, but the one we had heard was not even listed in the catalogue of sermons. Nor could I find it doing an Internet search. I felt that the Lord was giving me encouragement and that things would be changing for the better.

Later that evening, Cody asked me a surprising question. He asked me how I was feeling, which was something that he never did. I let him know that I felt that he didn’t care. He got angry and said that if I didn’t like it, I should leave. I told him that I would, which was a surprise even to me. He said that I should leave right then. As it was around 1:00 am, I simply went into the guestroom.

I was very fearful, not knowing what Cody would do. I prayed and knew that the Lord was going to keep me safe, which enabled me to sleep that night. I remained in the guestroom for a couple more evenings as I was trying to figure out what to do.

James Mayfield tried to counsel me, at Cody’s request. He proposed that I should leave Cody, forcing him to woo me back and treat me right. I did not believe I should do that. It was the first time that I saw James willing to fully discuss a situation and trying to help on whatever level he could, without resorting to simply applying legalistic Branhamite rules. His whole attitude towards my situation had changed after watching the marriage counseling video series mentioned earlier.

The day afterwards, Victor and Paul Cohen showed up, which was a surprise to me. Cody had invited them to dinner, although he had not informed me. They told us, at that time, that although they had come to Calgary to attend a meeting the evening prior, the Lord was making known that the real reason they had come was for us. They stated that Cody was not treating me right. Cody was resistant to what they were saying and I was surprised by it. I could see that they had knowledge of things we had been facing, but neither of us had said anything to them. Victor let us know that he had seen things at the farm and had prayed for us, receiving answers from the Lord.

At first, Cody was resistant to things we were hearing, but then he seemed to accept Victor and Paul’s words. I could see that the Lord had sent them to us, for which I was very thankful. Other things started to change, too.

We never listened to another Branhamite sermon after that and I got rid of religious objects, including the cross-stitch picture I had been working on for months. I had spent many hours working on that project, but it was a relief to get rid of it, knowing I should not have been working on it in the first place.

We then needed to come to terms about church. The truth about the Sabbath became clear (the fourth Commandment was never done away with), as did coming out of the church system, but we had yet to make a real break from it. We knew that leaving the church behind was going to impact us in many ways, because James did consulting through our store and a fellow church member, Christopher Yee, also worked there. At the end of June, Cody made the decision that it was time to stop going, so we didn’t attend what was considered a major service – communion and foot washing.

After we missed the following Sunday, there was a big blow up between Cody and James at our store. In short order, James stopped consulting for us and set up a competitive service, going against what he had preached from his pulpit. Christopher Yee discontinued his employment at the store a few weeks afterwards. That was a relief for us because he was not a very good employee but Cody had kept him on because of church and the fact that I was not helping full time, it continually being preached at church that women should not have a job outside of the home.

Victor counseled that I was to be a helpmate to Cody in all areas, including in our business, Journey of Health, so I began to work there full time. The Lord blessed our obedience, giving us the best retail month in what was ordinarily the slowest month of the year.

He also began to set me free through this process, even though all of our friends had dropped us like hot potatoes after we stopped going to church. A huge burden was lifted and I didn’t even miss the church, which had been such a major part of my life. While shopping one day, I ran into Paula Berry, one of the church members, and although she cried and told me how much she missed me, I couldn’t respond in the same manner. Instead, I was joyful that the Lord had taken me out of the church system. I knew at that moment what a wonderful thing had been granted to me.

We also made the decision to stop celebrating Christmas and all other holidays, which brought about another division with our friends and families. While in the religious system, Cody’s family tolerated our being different, but when it came to something that impacted them, like Christmas, they were livid with us. Yet, I had peace in spite of the turmoil occurring around me.

Though we made all these changes together, there was a distinct line drawn between Cody and me over the next couple of years. Any time something came up with someone else being involved, Cody and I were on opposite sides of the fence, Cody standing with the unbeliever. I came to realize that what I previously heard was truly from the Lord - Cody did not believe, in spite of the changes we had been making. To Cody, they were simply matters of doctrine instead of faith.

Cody again became spiritually abusive (he became furious if I asked him questions or expressed disagreement) and I retreated further into my shell. I was often frustrated and fretting. Rather than looking to the Lord, I tried to control my circumstances, and discovered that I failed miserably. I also tried very hard to make Cody believe, telling him where I could see things were wrong, to no avail. I caused a lot of friction by doing this instead of simply accepting that Cody was a religious person and not a believer. I was completely self-righteous and thought that I was something special because I could see things that Cody, or others, couldn’t. I deserved the treatment that I received from him because it was what I had sown for; I just didn’t want to accept it.

In July 2005, Cody spent a lot of time with his friend, Brian Ward. Brian is a very religious and self-righteous man whom I found very difficult. He tends to steamroll over everyone, looking for their weaknesses so he can tell them where they are wrong. I got to the point where I was fed up dealing with his influence over Cody and everything else in our lives, so I told Cody that I couldn’t take how things were any more. Cody told me to leave if I didn’t like it, so I did, but I didn’t know what to do next. I thought about joining the believers gathered at Harvest Haven, but I couldn’t bring myself to go anywhere. I stayed in Calgary, and phoned Cody from home the next day. He told me that he wanted his wife back and I wasn’t sure what I needed to do. I felt that I could leave or stay depending on what the Lord wanted me to do.

A couple of days later, on Sabbath morning, Paul phoned. Cody was still in bed, so I spoke with him and Victor about the situation between Cody and me. Cody and I had planned on calling Victor that day to speak with him, so I didn’t see any problem with talking with Paul and Victor first.

However, after Cody got up, he was very angry and refused to call Victor. He thought that Victor was meddling with our marriage, and he wrote Victor a letter telling him this, and saying that he was not to speak with me unless Victor apologized to him, and that he was to only speak with me if Cody was present. At this time I prayed about what to do and I felt like I needed to stay with Cody. I also received an email from Victor a short time afterwards telling me that I needed to stay with Cody and submit to him as my head. I knew that this was an answer from the Lord and it confirmed for me what I believed I should do. Victor also said that the Lord would make a way for me where there was no way.

After this time, Cody’s behavior changed. He began getting up around the same time as me on Sabbath mornings and monitoring what I was doing on the computer. He also watched our call display to see who was calling. If he knew it was someone from Harvest Haven, he made sure that he knew exactly what was going on, even though these conversations were solely about business. Although I had no contact with Victor or Paul regarding spiritual matters until October 29, 2005, Cody did not seem to realize this.

When I woke up on that morning of the 29th, I realized that Cody had not gone to bed. I knew something was wrong but wasn’t sure what it was. I went into the living room to find Cody sitting there. He had my keys in his hand and there was a handwritten note on the table. It was a bill of divorcement based on Deuteronomy 24:

“When a man has taken a wife and married her, and it happens that she finds no favor in his eyes, because he has found some uncleanness in her, then let him write her a bill of divorce and put it in her hand, and send her out of his house” (Deuteronomy 24:1 MKJV).

I asked him what the charge was against me, and he would not say anything about it, only saying it would hurt me to know. I asked him a couple of more times, but he refused to discuss anything with me. He handed me my key ring, which now only contained my car keys, and my purse, which he had emptied of my money, cell phone and any debit or credit cards pertaining to our business. He did leave my debit card (for a bank account that had no money) and my credit card (that was charged up with Journey of Health purchases).

He would not allow me to have breakfast or a shower, but he did consent to me packing some clothing. He watched me pack, I suppose to ensure that I took nothing other than clothes. He told me a few times that I deserved nothing.

I was devastated by this, but at the same time I knew that I was set free by the Lord. I also knew that I needed to go to Harvest Haven in Lethbridge. The Lord had provided for me to travel there because, a few days previously, Cody had filled the gas tank, although it was still half full at the time, which seemed really strange to me because we never filled the tank until it was down to ¼ full. Had it not been filled, I would not have had enough gas to make it to Lethbridge.

I spent a few days with Victor and Marilyn before heading to the farm. It was quite an experience for me to go from living in a house with 2 people to a house with 6. I was very fearful and found it difficult to be with people. On top of that, I was an emotional wreck from what happened with Cody.

After I had been at the farm for a few weeks, Cody asked me to come to Calgary for dinner. I was expecting that he wanted to discuss a settlement, because he had previously e-mailed me, asking what I would like for a settlement. We went to La Chaumiere, a well-known restaurant in Calgary. It turns out that it was recommended by Brian Ward, right down to the dinner that Cody ordered for us. I could tell that it was a set up that had been engineered by Brian and I told Cody so. It was at this dinner that Cody told me he was wrong in what he had done and that he wanted me to return.

It was evident when talking with Cody that he had not changed one iota. He simply regurgitated Brian Ward’s advice to me (that I should only be at home, and not working at the store) and tried to court me back to him with dinner and flowers, painting a rosy picture for enticement. However, he came out in blatant opposition to all I had been shown by the Lord. Cody made it clear that he would be the one making the decisions about what I was to believe. If I had gone back to him, it would have been a worse hell than the one from which the Lord released me, because I would have been knowingly walking away from the truth.

I struggled with this because I never wanted to be separated or divorced, yet it was something that the Lord was requiring of me. It amazes me how gracious the Lord has been to me, in spite of myself, enabling me to stay at Harvest Haven. I would have rejected this of my own accord, and gone back for more sheer hell and torment. It was His mercy that released me from my unequal yoking with Cody.

My decision to decline his request did not deter Cody in the least, in part because I was still leaning in my heart towards returning. He spent the next 15 months calling me and even showed up at the farm a few times, although he had previously been told that he was not welcome because of his threats and attitude.

At one point Cody received notice that he would need to move out of the home that we rented in Midnapore. At first he wanted me to get some of my belongings from him to assist him with the move. I consented, wanting to get something, anything, since I was unable to do so when he kicked me out. I began to make plans for heading to Calgary, when he abruptly changed his mind. He then told me I would only be allowed to have these items if I went back to him. A couple of months later, he called in a panic, demanding that I go to Calgary within 24-48 hours to pick up the items. (He had not bothered to do anything pertaining to his move and now only had a couple of weeks to get moved out.) The Lord enabled me to stand firm, and to tell Cody that, rather than heading to Calgary, I was asking the Lord to judge between us. Cody was shocked that I did not immediately do what he asked, so he then tried using particular belongings that he knew I wanted to tempt me into doing what he wanted. I repeated that the Lord would judge. I never heard another word about belongings from him after that.

Cody arrived at Harvest Haven, unannounced yet expected, on the Thanksgiving weekend of 2006. Most of us had words for him while he was there. While he acted like he had compassion for me, he was seething with hatred towards Victor. Cody blamed Victor for me not returning, and that is correct in some measure. I usually caved to whatever it was Cody wanted, but this time I had others standing with me in the Lord so that I could stand and do the right thing instead of letting Cody walk all over me. Victor told Cody that he loved him and Cody glared at him, telling Victor that his God was a wimp. At the end of the conversation, Cody left, a defeated man.

My mother also came for a visit in the fall, phoning shortly before she would arrive. I was worried about this because I knew that I needed to speak with her about how things had been when I had been growing up. I did so and it was hard on both of us. My mother didn’t want to hear what I had to say but the Lord kept her with me until I was done.

She phoned a few days later, furious with me and then called back the next day to apologize. She was very concerned and asked for my forgiveness. I knew that she was repentant for everything and I forgave her. I felt the same way and asked her to forgive me for the rotten daughter I have been and for the ways I had wronged her. She told me that it was nothing and that what was important to her was my forgiveness. It was remarkable to me because we were able to really talk for the next couple of days, for the first time ever. I also realized that I felt compassion for her and I never had that before. It was then that I realized I had been bitter towards her and that the Lord took it away. I saw that we are the same, so how could I condemn her?

In December 2006, we, the believers, gathered together at Harvest Haven to raise the Israeli flag. Lois mentioned that she felt that I wasn’t with them in spirit, and I wasn’t. In spite of all the ways the Lord had provided for me, I was still struggling. I felt that I didn’t have any part in the decision of my being at the farm – the Lord decided, Cody decided, but I wasn’t the one who had chosen. Victor told me to forget all of these thoughts and to make my own decision on what to do. Did I want to stay at the farm, or did I want to go - whether back to Cody or somewhere else? I finally made my own choice to stay at the farm, and I felt much more grounded after that. The Lord gave me peace about staying that I previously had not felt, although I was thankful that He had brought me here.

I heard from Cody less as time went on, and he sent cards instead of calling. The Lord showed that there was unfinished business with Cody, so I wrote him a letter in February 2007, asking him some questions, trying to address a few issues. Cody did not respond until he showed up at the farm, a couple of months later, telling me that he wanted a divorce.

I never wanted to face divorce, thinking it would be a failure on my part. Yet, when the time came, the Lord granted me the grace to face it and accept that it was something I need to go through. I accepted what Cody said and agreed that we needed to proceed with the matter. In the next short while Cody initiated divorce proceedings and I was required to post a response. It came to me at that time that the Lord would indeed judge the matter between Cody and me, as I had told Cody the summer before. I made the decision to forgo the lawyer and instead rely on the Lord to provide what I needed for each step of the divorce.

The Lord has more than amply provided, demonstrating that He is in control of all things, secular courts included.

I am still in the midst of the divorce process and even more thankful for the Lord determining that I need to face it. Through it, the Lord is healing me and taking me through my fears by making me face what I am. Praise the Lord.

Dena Marie Dahl

Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada

On July 30, 2010, Dena received this letter from Cody Dahl:

Dena – your testimony is hurting me. Specifically, your Dena Dahl's Testimony comes up in Google page one, item #4 when anyone searches on my name “Cody Dahl”. Now that our divorce is final, I request that you edit my name from “Cody Dahl” to just “Cody” to allow your testimony to drop off Google page one, when anyone searches on my name “Cody Dahl”. While you are editing, I also request that you stop claiming that I abused you, as you know this is not accurate, and it reflects poorly on me, especially with all the descriptions of abuse by others in your testimony. You can also mention not only the date of our separation, but that you now have your divorce certificate. And lastly, please drop full names of any of my relations or clients also. If you have a problem with any of this then please advise me by email.

Our response:

This is not a reasonable demand at all, and we would like everyone to know why. It is not in anyone’s interest that unrepentant scoundrels should determine whether their misdeeds are reported.

Should criminals have their pictures removed from places of public display, because the publicity hampers their personal lives?

Should immoral business owners be removed from the Better Business Bureau “bad apple” lists, because an informed public hurts their business?

Should those who use the precious Name of Christ for gain be allowed to publicize themselves as virtuous exemplars of Jesus Christ without public exposure of their fraud? Should they be entitled to publically benefit from association with His Name, while their behavior casts shame on His Name, causing those who don’t know any better to retch at the mention of Christ? Are not these pretenders, and the evil they do, rather to be exposed, and the Name of God glorified?

Cody Dahl denies any wrongdoing. It is no problem, according to his Bible, to treat one’s wife like a dog, yes, even worse than a dog. He can send her away without just cause or reason, strip her of home and property, and then quote a verse in the Bible to justify his treachery. How wicked! All documented in Dena’s testimony, and we are witnesses to these things.

These kinds of examples need to be publicized, until the day comes when none would dare even think to call themselves by the Name of Christ without considering the great responsibility that comes with taking His Name upon oneself:

“You shall not take the Name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes His Name in vain” (Exodus 20:7 HNV).

Cody refused all the good things given to him by God, including his wife, when he sent her away over five years ago, which action led to his current complaint. There hasn’t been a stitch of repentance or recognition of wrongdoing on his part. On the contrary, he has continually defied any reasonable settlement of divorce with equitable division of property, to this day, though the opportunity to do so has been before him at all times (as several witnesses and the court records will attest).

According to his own words, Cody would rather run their jointly-owned business into the ground before giving anything to Dena, and he has held true to his word. In all these years, Cody has surrendered nothing of what is morally and legally hers.

Yet he still blames her (and us) for the evil he has sown and reaps.

Cody once said our God was a wimp. Now he sees that his god is the ineffectual one, not able to protect him from the consequences of his sins. Where is his god that he must appeal to, and threaten, flesh and blood to insure his livelihood?

Dena’s testimony is not about “payback” or a smear campaign. She has related her journey from darkness to Light, progressing from a terrible place of constriction and confusion wherein she concealed her sins, to one of freedom and liberty through confessing them. The evildoers along the way are named, and their evils identified, because God would have everyone to know that they will not be able to hide their sins forever. It would certainly not do anyone any good if they could, and to try to do so by using the Lord’s Name as a cover for wrongdoing is the most despicable of behaviors, the fastest and surest way to incur God’s wrath.

The best thing for Cody Dahl to do would be to publicly admit his wrongdoing and prove his contrition by making amends. That is the only right response before God, Whose Name he has misappropriated to himself. And we would be the first to publicly declare his repentance and good deeds.

Because his heart is hardened, however, that won’t happen. Cody insists on destroying himself in his enmity against God and against doing what is right, just as he has proclaimed and is doing. He has no one but himself to blame. He conducts himself in ways that even many who profess no faith in Christ or God would despise, and do.

Cody, you wanted a little lap dog that you could do with as you please. How do you like your new, submissive wife? Do you have her well at heel, like you did Dena until God freed her from your tyranny? Sic semper tyrannis.

Paul Cohen

E-mail Dena Dahl