HILLDALE, UT - On a recent Thursday afternoon in rural Hilldale, Utah, two young women of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints faith were braiding the hair of two Christian missionaries from Mississippi and Kuwait. The scene was a sign of surprising changes in the place famous for being an insulated, polygamous enclave along the border of Arizona and Utah.
For decades, residents mostly kept to themselves. They were hesitant to mingle with outside visitors, often made up of curious tourists and news media. The dominant influence of the community was the FLDS church led by Warren Jeffs which critics say should more accurately be described as a cult.
The religious group is not affiliated with the mainstream Mormon church. Today, Jeffs is in prison on two sexual assault convictions, and the FLDS church’s membership has thinned out due to turmoil and property battles with the government. Many FLDS members have left the faith, been kicked out or moved away.
“There’s no structure, no support system for people like me, because so many of us are gone,” said Norma Richter, one of an estimated 2,000 loyal followers of Jeffs who still lives in “Short Creek.”
It’s why outside volunteers have stepped in to help.
Richter was hosting an FLDS community fair on a recent Thursday in April, where FLDS girls and women braided hair for tips and sold baked goods and handmade wares. Most of the customers were missionaries and volunteers serving in a nearby shelter that was once a home for dozens of Jeffs’ wives. A nonprofit helped host the fair.
“I work 12 hours a day trying to help these people find housing, find jobs, food, shoes, educational supplies, all the things that used to be supplied by the church,” said Christine Marie of Voices for Dignity, who leads a humanitarian effort for FLDS refugees called “Operation Short Creek.”
Marie said her efforts used to be met with opposition by the FLDS. But they are now more receptive to getting help.
Meanwhile, a former compound of Jeffs has been converted into a community center and shelter for teens and adults needing help. The Short Creek Dream Center , started by a former wife of Jeffs who escaped the flock several years ago, provides support to victims of drug use and sexual trauma -- two common problems in the community.
"Right now this is geared towards people who have left cults," said Briell Decker. "They need help with basic like skills, with education and a lot of other things."
Hilldale Mayor Donia Jessop blames Jeffs for leaving peoples’ lives in ruins. Jessop grew up in the faith, which critics and prosecutors say is a ruthless cult.
“What Warren Jeffs did to this community was rob it of its soul and heartbeat. He took every family and ripped it apart,” Jessop said.
According to court records and testimony from exiled church members, Jeffs has “reassigned” wives and children to other families in neighboring states. He has banished “evil” male church members from the community. Having lost properties and financial support over the past decade, loyal followers of Jeffs are struggling.
Jessop hopes the future of Colorado City and Hilldale moves away from the influence of Jeffs.
"I am a strong advocate for choice," Jessop said. "It saddens me they won't listen to the truth ... But when I see them doing what they are doing I get it. I know why they are doing it. But if I can continue to hold space for them and love them where they are at, eventually some of them will come and be a member of the community as it is now."