Mandy Valadez was just 16 years old when she was lured into the Potter's House Christian Fellowship Ministries in Amarillo, Texas — which dominated nearly 18 years of her life.
Recruitment started at a Halloween haunted house in late 2001, she claims. “I went through this haunted house with some friends thinking it was just a fun, scary event for Halloween,” Mandy, 39, from Sedona, Arizona, says.
“I went through this haunted house with some friends thinking it was just a fun, scary event for Halloween,” Mandy, 39, from Sedona, Arizona, says. “But what I didn’t know was that it was actually a recruitment for this organization.” The hell house was filled with gruesome scenes, fire, and terrifying imagery, all meant to frighten people into the group's control.
"They got your name before you went in, and as you walked through, they'd call it out, saying this is what will happen to you if you don't join them. I was just 16, and I wanted to get out of there, so I gave them my information," she says.
From that moment on, Mandy was bombarded with calls and visits to her home and workplace, she claims.
"They kept showing up at my house and work," she says. "I worked at Long John Silver’s, and they would send teenagers to bond with me so it wouldn’t seem threatening." Two months later, in January 2002, Mandy caved to their persistence and joined the group.
"The Potter's House Christian Church passionately follows the words of Jesus to go into all the world and preach the Gospel," according to the official website.
The church teaches that sinful behavior can lead to physical ailments. Idol worship is believed to cause vision problems, while homosexuality is thought to result in deafness. Breast cancer is linked to gossip and hatred towards husbands, whereas cervical cancer is attributed to the curse of promiscuity.
On one occasion, founder Wayman Mitchell was recorded using a homophobic slur during a sermon in Guam, referring to gays people as "little f*****s", according to reports.
For Mandy, what followed was the beginning of a life of control, manipulation, and isolation. "Once they had me, they demanded all my time," she says. "I had to be at their services five to six days a week for teachings. Looking back, it was all brainwashing," Mandy explains.
At age 17, the church leaders convinced her to marry a man she barely knew, she says. "They told me getting married would make me a better woman and help grow their organization," she says.
"My purpose was to have babies, who would be trained to recruit more people. They married me off to a man five years older than me," says Mandy, who had a son and daughter with her first husband. Mandy’s life quickly became consumed by the organization's rules, she says.
She was isolated from her parents, forbidden from enjoying typical teenage experiences, and subjected to strict controls on her daily life, she says. "We couldn’t go to the movies, listen to music, or leave the city without permission.
"There was a dress code, and we had to give a percentage of our income to them," she says, noting that she and the other women had to dress "professionally" by wearing dresses or skirts while the men were told to wear ties.
Mandy also needed permission from one of the leaders to leave the property. All members were required to donate 10% of their earnings to the church. Because she was in a higher position — with her husband being a "door director," she had to pay more in "love offerings," she states.
“Everything was ruled by them.” For years, Mandy was trapped in a cycle of psychological and emotional abuse, she claims.
"There's a lot of abuse that goes on in the marriages because you're just property in a cult," she notes. "You can't say 'no.'" The leaders — including Mitchell — demanded loyalty and obedience from her, including from her own children.
"They started doing to my son what they did to me, and that’s when I started waking up. He was 13, and they were training him to be a leader. I couldn’t let them do that to him. It terrified me thinking my daughter would have to go through the same things I did," she says.
In 2018, Mandy found the courage to leave. "I was so scared because they told me if I left, I’d be cursed — either I’d die in a car accident, get cancer, or my kids would die. It took me a year of secretly trying to find a way out," she says.
The final straw came when a male leader began to "groom" and touch her for a overlong period of time while praying. “It wasn’t severe, but I knew what his intentions were, and I had to get out," she says. “I was so brainwashed, so controlled, but I finally said ‘enough.’ If I was going to die or get cancer, I’d prefer that over staying there.”
When Mandy left, she was shunned by the community. She moved hours away, started therapy, and began rebuilding her life. "It was so hard. I could have easily ended up in a mental institution, but therapy helped me talk about it. After five or six years, I’m a completely different person," she says.
Mandy gained full custody of her two children, and although her ex-husband returned to the organization, she has found peace. "My son is almost 20 now. We’ve healed."
Mandy, now a spiritual teacher, uses her experiences to help others who have left similar environments.
"I get to help others truly now — people who have left places like that or who have been through trauma. I thought I was helping people by recruiting them back then, but I wasn’t. Now I am.
"They told me I would be cursed, that I’d die if I left. But I’m still alive. I’m healthy, happy, and living my best life. "Everything they said was evil and wicked, I am today — but I’m the happiest I’ve ever been."
The Potter's House has faced significant criticism over the years, with many labeling it a cult due to the high degree of control over its members, demands, and mistreatment of individuals who leave the congregation.
Rick Ross, a cult expert who has spoken with many former members, said that while he does not classify the church as a traditional cult, he believes it to be a destructive group that comes very close to fitting that definition.
