Join us today for the start of an epic two-part episode with Heidi Bruno, who is here to share her story of abuse within the church and her experience of losing a child as a Mormon mother. In Part 1, Heidi details her history of sexual abuse as a teenager by the Elders Quorum President in her ward—while her father was serving as bishop. We discuss how her abuser groomed her using highly manipulative tactics and by abusing his authority in the ward. For years afterward, Heidi carried the shame of this abusive relationship, not understanding until much later that she had been a victim. She also shares what ultimately led her to speak up about the abuse once she gained the awareness that she had been victimized. Then, join us later this week for Part 2 of Heidi’s story, where she discusses the loss of her eight-year-old daughter to cancer and the effect this devastating loss had on her LDS faith. You will not want to miss this powerful and important Mormon Story. Show notes can be found on the Mormon Stories blog here: https://www.mormonstories.org/my-mormon-leader-abused-me-as-a-teen/ Timecodes: 00:00:00 Introduction 00:02:29 What made Heidi choose to share her story of abuse? 00:39:33 Overview of Heidi’s Mormon childhood 00:08:41 What was it like to have her father as Bishop of the ward? 00:16:08 Was taught nothing about sex and abuse as a child 00:19:03 Had received strong messaging about the law of chastity 00:21:28 New family moves into their ward, and invite them to Nauvoo 00:24:00 Noticed the Elder’s Quorum president was paying her more attention than was normal 00:26:11 Discussing consent and power differentials 00:30:20 Mormons are taught to respect & obey authority 00:34:00 First serious instance of abuse 00:38:40 Why did she not tell anyone at the time? 00:43:32 How did she justify his adultery in her mind at the time? 00:44:48 His wife was her young womans leader 00:48:26 Believed he was called of god, so must be worthy despise their actions 00:50:21 How can parents look for these signs for their kids? 00:52:03 Her mother’s death, father quickly re-marries 00:59:15 Child abuse is rampant in the LDS church 01:01:22 Abuse went on for about a year 01:03:14 Before going on her mission, she realized the relationship was wrong and she needed to confess 01:04:27 Discussing the loss of her mom and her experience with grief 01:09:46 Where is the boundary of defining sex for Mormons? 01:15:00 How he was sophisticated in his grooming 01:17:12 Her bishop told her that she was in the wrong and had sinned 01:21:32 He had some discipline, but later continued to serve in the church 01:32:28 Her father never learned about the abuse 01:39:25 Discussing Joseph Smith’s marriages to teen girls 01:41:48 He robbed her of her adolescence 01:46:50 Went on her mission to Germany 01:47:56 Married quickly after her mission 01:48:53 Telling her fiance about her abuse 01:56:59 Realized that she had been a victim of abuse 02:00:57 The Me Too movement helped her come forward 02:02:55 Was empowering to be there for her children in the way that she never had 02:03:35 Wrote a substack post about her abuse 02:03:55 She emailed him to say she knows now that it was abuse 02:07:59 Was a very active member, was called as relief society president 02:10:13 What did she know about polygamy? ___________________ At Mormon Stories we explore, celebrate, and challenge Mormon culture through in-depth stories told by members and former members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as well as scholars, authors, LDS apologists, and other professionals. Our overall mission is to: 1. Facilitate informed consent amongst LDS Church members, investigators, and non-members regarding Mormon history, doctrine, and theology 2. Support Mormons (and members of other high-demand religions) who are experiencing a religious faith crisis 3. Promote healing, growth and community for those who choose to leave the LDS Church or other high demand religions 🤝Help us continue to deliver quality content by becoming a donor today One-time or recurring donations: https://donorbox.org/mormon-stories?default_interval=m Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mormonstories Venmo: https://account.venmo.com/u/mormonstories Paypal: https://paypal.me/mormonstories Join this channel to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCx6OgmoqJbOVRq-Lv1P7SzA/join Our Platforms: 🌐Mormon Stories Blog: https://www.mormonstories.org/episodes 🎙️Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mormonstories ✳️Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4sDzk7dRjODTSEqzZKZJzk?si=148b0efc1ccc4404&nd=1 🍎Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mormon-stories-lds/id312094772 🖼️Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mormstories 📱TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mormonstoriespodcast 🎮Discord: https://discord.com/invite/kuX5p6yyjF Contact us: 📧 MormonStories@gmail.com 📬PO Box 171085, Salt Lake City, UT 84117