(some material in this post is thematic. read with caution)
Some reports on Lisa’s story conflicted. It appears she was released from Prison in June 2022, but her civil case is still active.
Sometimes Christianity can land you in some hot water! God still requires that we do what is right. A family friend, Steve, says he has no regrets; given the chance, he would do it all again. I need to take you back about 20 years to a time that, in some ways, feels much further. When my husband and I were married, we lived in Vermont. At the time ‘civil unions’ were still a hot button topic, as Vermont was the first state to introduce them legally (see I told you it feels like a long time ago!). The church there had fought the legislation, unsuccessfully, and of course states nearby followed suit.
You should know that this was not by accident. Vermont was chosen because it was so small, that it was easy to overwhelm electorally. There are a lot of people from New York City who own property in Vermont so it was easy for their progressive ideals to get represented especially in the judiciary. In the end, no amount of effort was going to prevent a well-designed campaign from reaching its goal, which it did successfully in 2000.
Steve was fighting for traditional marriage, traveling from one end of the State to the other; organizing non-profits, trying to educate people what was at stake. One nonprofit, “Take Back Vermont” he labeled an ‘organism’ as opposed to being an organization because it moved and worked with a single intent to reclaim Vermont from harmful legislation. Lisa was one of the first to be harmed by this agenda.
Lisa began with the deck stacked against her. Though she was raised in a Christian home, her mother suffered with Paranoia Schizophrenia. Divorce came while she was young, and tragedy came again when her mother passed away. Without a connection to a strong father, and never having a good relationship with her mother, she was vulnerable, and became involved with a lesbian professor. She later met Janet in Virginia, and felt she was where she belonged.
Civil Unions were new in Vermont, so they traveled there to take advantage of the opportunity and returned to Virginia to begin a life together. The two decided to have a baby by artificial insemination, and Isabella was born. This is important: LISA was inseminated; biologically, Isabella had no connection to Janet.
While Lisa was carrying her baby, she started to have doubts about her newfound ‘peace’. She started to wonder if her partner was who she wanted to raise this child with. Did she want to raise her baby in a lesbian home? Isabella arrived, and Janet and Lisa were separated soon after. Because of the legal status provided by Vermont, and reciprocity laws, visitation was set up like any normal parental custody agreement. This is when things turned for the significantly worse.
Lisa became alarmed when Isabella was inappropriately touching herself openly, a behavior often associated with sexual abuse. Now old enough to describe ‘activities’ she and Janet were engaged in, she described explicit material she had been introduced to. After one visit, she drove a comb into her neck and said she wanted to kill herself. Lisa now felt the need to report to authorities, which is where this should end, but it didn’t.
Lisa appealed to the courts to end Janet’s visitation rights. The legal battle gained momentum as homosexual advocates plastered the story all over every news organization that would listen. This was not about an abused little girl, this was about advancing a cause, and the Vermont court system was going to protect their progressive precedent.
Steve brought in Liberty Council from Florida and the legal war ensued. The judge never allowed a single argument in the best interest of the child. In fact, the court ruled to place full custody with Isabella’s abuser, disregarding a mountain of well documented evidence. The legal system had failed her child, but she was a desperate mother with a will to act.
During her separation, Lisa had begun her journey back to her religious roots. Lisa fled to Canada with Isabella with Ken Miller. From there, Ken’s brother, a Mennonite minister in Nicaragua, purchased tickets for her to stay with him in a remote village in the mountains. U.S. Marshals combed the country, but the Mennonites did such a superb job of concealing her, they never found her. Both men were arrested for their part in helping her escape and spent three years in jail for ‘kidnapping’.
Lisa successfully stayed in Nicaragua until Isabella turned eighteen and was free to make her own choices. Lisa returned to the U.S, turned herself in, and was immediately arrested. She is currently awaiting trial. She is expected to serve 3 years for kidnapping, with more charges potentially adding time. Isabella remains in Nicaragua.
The reality of the consequences of Lisa’s choices were one thing she struggled with. At the very beginning, Steve explained to Lisa that she was forgiven, but there would still be consequences. Both men said they would still make their choices, despite the repercussions to their own families. Lisa had always believed God would move the legislation and force the courts to rule in favor of what was right, but God does not promise fairy tale endings.
No trial has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. – I Cor 10:13
We want punishment for the bad, rewards for the good. But sometimes the good are punished for doing what is right.
But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, Acts 4:19
Sometimes winning looks like losing in spiritual battles, but it depends on our perspective. When Peter and John sat in a prison cell, they might have felt like they lost, as I am sure Lisa has felt at times too, But God defines victory differently from how we do. The consequences we suffer here are only temporary when compared with the eternal glory; standing up for what is right.