My name is Kim. I was not raised a jw. My uncle is an elder and a wonderful person..he is my mother's brother...my mother always said that she believed what the jw taught. She believed it was the truth...unlike most teenagers...I thought my mother's word was the gospel....sooo guess what...the first chance I got at 18...I began to study with a Jehovah's witness....I got baptised at the age of 22...I left in 1991. The hardest thing that I have ever done because when I left...I still believed but the controlled life was to much. I left the organization still believing that it was the truth and that God would never hear my prayers again....so I stopped praying....I gave up......I felt ashamed and guilty....but then I found this site in 2009...oh my..I was so relieved...I didn't join until about a month ago....I am healed now...thanks to this site...I can move forward with my spirituality....not sure where I am headed with spiritual things but it is not being a Jehovah's witness. Thank you all for being a part of my healing process....I'm not very good with posting or commenting...I feel intimidated because my words do not always come across as I want them to and I'm not very good at writing my thoughts.....I just want you all to know how very much that I appreciate Your bravery and strength to share your stories...(especially those who were born in) I don't know if I would have ever had the strength and guts to leave if I were born in to this religion....thank you all so very much for giving me the peace of mind that I so badly needed.