Leslie Wagner-Wilson: The Jonestown Suicide-Massacre: A Survivor's Testimony (Part Two)

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MP3 Available Here

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Leslie Wagner-Wilson, author of "Slavery of Faith", will address the theme: "The Jonestown Suicide-Massacre: A Survivor's Testimony (Part Two)".

Wednesday, November 18, 2009 marked the 31st anniversary of the "Jonestown Suicide-Massacre" in a remote jungle settlement in Guyana, South America. 918 United States citizens died that day. An estimated 93% of those who died were African American. Before September 11, 2001, it was the largest number of American civilian lives lost in a single event . This included United States Congressman Leo Ryan and his entourage. His assassination marked the first and only murder of a U.S. Congressman in the history of the United States.

After surviving sixteen months in the armed jungle compound and through daily prayer amongst a world of madness, our guest Leslie Wagner-Wilson, then twenty one years old, escaped Jonestown walking thirty odd miles through the jungle along with nine other members of the cult on the morning of November 18, 1978. Strapped to her back was a 40-pound care package - her son, later to be known as the youngest survivor of Jonestown. After reaching a small outpost that night, she would be told that Congressman Leo Ryan and four of his entourage had been assassinated along with a Temple defector. Within the next two days she would be told that all of the residents of Jonestown had died, including her husband, mother, brother, sister, niece, nephew, sister in law, brother in law and friends she had grown up and loved since 13.

Since Jonestown, Slavery of Faith also chronicles Leslie's return to the U.S. under a veil of secrecy in fear of the “death squads”, her fight to maintain faith in her darkest hours; suffering Post Traumatic Stress, survivors’ guilt, drug addiction, a family suicide, redemption and finally forgiveness. All the while holding on to the only thing she knew was true-God. It shares her journey through psychological and spiritual jungles to reach a place of remembrance—- to “live their love and not their deaths.” You can hear Part One of our "Iron Sharpens Iron" interview with Leslie which originally aired on Tuesday, November 17, 2009 . This mp3 is a back up copy of the show before Internet recording became availabe. Our apologies for the sound quality.