# Columbus Junction, Iowa: 88 children taken from "church camp" (reported 6/16/2025) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 16, 2025, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/columbus-junction-iowa-88-children-taken-from-church-camp-reported-6-16-2025/1019730 "2025-06-16T23:19:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2025, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/columbus-junction-iowa-88-children-taken-from-church-camp-reported-6-16-2025/1019730/1 "2025-06-16T23:19:34Z")
Information is sketchy, but this is what we have now: Last week, a camper called 911 to say they “didn’t want to be there” and authorities descended upon this facility on June 12 and 13. A nearby church did house the kids until their parents and guardians could be contacted, and a local pizza restaurant fed the kids on the restaurant’s dime. I have a feeling this is going to be a much bigger story in the days to come. [https://www.wqad.com/article/news/crime/children-iowa-church-camp-child-abuse-investigation-columbus-junction-louisa-county/526-940881c7-dcd2-490a-b730-923656de9cd9](https://www.wqad.com/article/news/crime/children-iowa-church-camp-child-abuse-investigation-columbus-junction-louisa-county/526-940881c7-dcd2-490a-b730-923656de9cd9) ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2025, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/columbus-junction-iowa-88-children-taken-from-church-camp-reported-6-16-2025/1019730/2 "2025-06-16T23:28:41Z")
From the article. > the Kingdom Ministry of Rehab and Recreation and the Shekinah Glory Camp, 🚩 🚩 🚩 🚩 🚩 🚩 🚩 🚩 ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2025, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/columbus-junction-iowa-88-children-taken-from-church-camp-reported-6-16-2025/1019730/3 "2025-06-16T23:33:01Z")
I agree. They interviewed two staff members on a local TV station; both were of Southeast Asian descent, and the one who spoke on camera could barely speak English. Columbus Junction and the region has a significant Southeast Asian population, due to the local meat processing facilities. I do not know any of the demographics of the campers. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2025, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/columbus-junction-iowa-88-children-taken-from-church-camp-reported-6-16-2025/1019730/4 "2025-06-17T00:06:59Z")
It says they help people recover from addiction. What kinds of addiction? ---
**Author:** ![Nightaudit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nightaudit/32/17181_2.png) [@Nightaudit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nightaudit)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2025, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/columbus-junction-iowa-88-children-taken-from-church-camp-reported-6-16-2025/1019730/5 "2025-06-17T00:40:51Z")
Nm double posted ---
**Author:** ![Nightaudit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nightaudit/32/17181_2.png) [@Nightaudit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nightaudit)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2025, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/columbus-junction-iowa-88-children-taken-from-church-camp-reported-6-16-2025/1019730/6 "2025-06-17T00:43:59Z")
Probably to relieve them from their addiction to Critical Thinking and Higher Criticism… ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2025, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/columbus-junction-iowa-88-children-taken-from-church-camp-reported-6-16-2025/1019730/7 "2025-06-17T01:44:03Z")
The authorities upset the children so badly by removing them from the camp, one coded. No, really. > [@](#): > > “One of my sisters, they had to give her oxygen. She wasn’t breathing. She was sad.” 🤔 [https://www.wqad.com/article/news/local/columbus-junction-ministry-denies-reports-child-abuse-endangerment/526-5744b800-4e73-4096-8550-c02dee822352](https://www.wqad.com/article/news/local/columbus-junction-ministry-denies-reports-child-abuse-endangerment/526-5744b800-4e73-4096-8550-c02dee822352) ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2025, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/columbus-junction-iowa-88-children-taken-from-church-camp-reported-6-16-2025/1019730/8 "2025-06-17T01:55:57Z")
My Daddy sent me to a camp for diabetic tweens. I was there exactly 11 hours. I called his office and told them to tell him I was catching the first ride outta there if he didn’t come to get me. Man oh man, I had the horror stories. I regaled my siblings with them for months. It sure was a busy 11 hours… They did nothing terrible to me. I just didn’t wanna be there. (I now donate to them every year) So…grain of salt folks. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2025, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/columbus-junction-iowa-88-children-taken-from-church-camp-reported-6-16-2025/1019730/9 "2025-06-17T02:16:50Z")
Far too many cases over the years to even be bringing up grains of salt, your lone personal experience notwithstanding. ---
**Author:** ![Xocomil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xocomil/32/14927_2.png) [@Xocomil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xocomil)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2025, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/columbus-junction-iowa-88-children-taken-from-church-camp-reported-6-16-2025/1019730/10 "2025-06-17T02:36:11Z")
On Google Maps, one of the campgrounds is a private home. The other looks like a small farm on a street Google Street View fears to tread. It’s fine, though, the article says: > The group notes it has rented multiple mobile homes to house over 60 people and hopes to build a permanent church and facility for 100 individuals in 2025. Hm, were they killing two birds with one stone? Kids get to go to camp and the church gets a new building. It just crazy enough to work. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2025, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/columbus-junction-iowa-88-children-taken-from-church-camp-reported-6-16-2025/1019730/11 "2025-06-17T03:02:31Z")
This almost sounds like the makings of a cult compound to me. If this camp had a website, it’s been taken down. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2025, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/columbus-junction-iowa-88-children-taken-from-church-camp-reported-6-16-2025/1019730/12 "2025-06-17T03:20:27Z")
> A website for the [Kingdom Ministry of Rehabilitation and Recreation](https://www.kmorar.org/) says **it is located in Columbus Junction, which was "the birthplace of Arthur E. Carson, the first missionary to Myanmar Chin state**." The website says its mission is “Assisting individuals in breaking free from addiction through God’s Word, offering food and shelter to those in need, and supporting individuals during fasting and prayer.” > > The website lists Shekinah Glory Camp as ongoing from June 8 to June 29 but **details are listed in what appears to be the Hakha Chin language**. > **[88 children placed into protective custody after reports of abuse at Iowa...](https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/crime-and-courts/2025/06/16/88-children-protective-custody-abuse-reports-iowa-religious-camp/84234458007/)** > > The custody operation was conducted at a camp run by the Kingdom Ministry of Rehab and Recreation in Columbus Junction. So Hakha Chin, also known as Laiholh, is a Kuki-Chin language spoken primarily in Chin State, Myanmar, and parts of northeastern India and southeastern Bangladesh. And Chin State, located in western Myanmar, is a mountainous and ethnically diverse region bordering India and Bangladesh. It is home to the Chin people, who speak various Tibeto-Burman languages and predominantly practice Christianity. I had the impression that Iowa was overwhelmingly white so this type camp is very surprising for the state. But you wonder if this was due to cultural differences and not child abuse. ---
**Author:** ![Xocomil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xocomil/32/14927_2.png) [@Xocomil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xocomil)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2025, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/columbus-junction-iowa-88-children-taken-from-church-camp-reported-6-16-2025/1019730/13 "2025-06-17T05:17:21Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > I had the impression that Iowa was overwhelmingly white so this type camp is very surprising for the state. > [@nearwildheaven](#): > > Columbus Junction and the region has a significant Southeast Asian population, due to the local meat processing facilities. That inspired my first thought on this: they were farming the kids out to local plants. I’m thinking now this whole thing might have been a way to raise money for the church. They charged $500 for each kid to attend Camp Singlewide. That’s $44,000 total. It seems like they were hoping to keep the happy campers in a few trailers and pocket (to invest in the church, of course) the rest of the money. Hell, maybe even have them work in the plants and keep their earnings, as well. Hopefully it was just barely inadequate facilities. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2025, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/columbus-junction-iowa-88-children-taken-from-church-camp-reported-6-16-2025/1019730/14 "2025-06-17T12:39:17Z")
Keep in mind here, that so far, the only solid indication we have that anything bad was going on at this camp is that the authorities removed all of the children. That could mean that there actually was something bad going on there and that the authorities acted appropriately, or it could mean that the camp was completely benign and the authorities were overreacting to a hyperbolic kid or to nothing at all, possibly prompted by bigotry. One way or another, something very bad happened here, but it’s too early to say what the very bad thing was, or who was responsible. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2025, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/columbus-junction-iowa-88-children-taken-from-church-camp-reported-6-16-2025/1019730/15 "2025-06-17T13:04:53Z")
Yep, we’re at the point where the authorities don’t say anything useful, and the accused say they didn’t do anything wrong. Eventually the authorities will either agree with the accused, and say their investigation showed no wrongdoing, or they’ll levy charges, and accused were (unsurprisingly) lying criminals who were abusing kids. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2025, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/columbus-junction-iowa-88-children-taken-from-church-camp-reported-6-16-2025/1019730/16 "2025-06-17T14:42:50Z")
Now the camp is regretting allowing kids to communicate with their parents. _Now I don’t want, this should scare ya But my bunkmate has malaria You remember Jeffrey Hardy They’re about to organize a searching party_ ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2025, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/columbus-junction-iowa-88-children-taken-from-church-camp-reported-6-16-2025/1019730/17 "2025-06-17T15:02:26Z")
An article from Men’s Journal [88 Kids Removed From Bible Camp Amid Human Trafficking Investigation](https://www.mensjournal.com/news/iowa-bible-camp-human-trafficking) adds a bit more "“What we try to do is, we take care of adults and children who are under the influence of drugs, alcohol, nicotine,” said Victor Bawi, whose parents run the ministry. “The adults and children, we take care of them, we provide food for them. The children we separate from the adults. We separate the boys and girls. We care for them, we provide for them.” Bawi alleges that the teen who called authorities did so because he no longer wanted to attend the camp. “We never harmed that child. We loved him,” he said. “We bought him, like, $400 shoes, clothing, everything.” $400 Shoes? Whole families separated from each other, and boys separated from girls? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2025, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/columbus-junction-iowa-88-children-taken-from-church-camp-reported-6-16-2025/1019730/18 "2025-06-17T15:25:38Z")
When addiction is involved, it’s sometimes a good idea to separate children from the adults, and separating boys and girls is common at pretty much all camps. For that matter, it never even says that the children they’re separating from the adults are even from the same families. It’s easy, if you’ve already drawn conclusions, to fit statements like this one into your existing conclusions. But that doesn’t always mean the conclusions were justified in the first place. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2025, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/columbus-junction-iowa-88-children-taken-from-church-camp-reported-6-16-2025/1019730/19 "2025-06-17T15:38:16Z")
Except that only accounts for _part_ of the statement. The " “We bought him, like, $400 shoes, clothing, everything.” part is very curious to me. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2025, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/columbus-junction-iowa-88-children-taken-from-church-camp-reported-6-16-2025/1019730/20 "2025-06-17T15:54:21Z")
Perhaps $400 in shoes, clothing and other stuff is what was meant? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/columbus-junction-iowa-88-children-taken-from-church-camp-reported-6-16-2025/1019730.md?page=2)