Motorhome Prophecies: How Carrie Sheffield found peace in Christianity years after abandoning her religious father’s abuse

It took Carrie Sheffield decades to heal from the trauma of her childhood.

She grew up in a motorhome with her seven siblings, constantly on the move to serve their father Ralph’s fanatical religious vision.

In her heart-wrenching autobiography, Motorhome Prophecies, Sheffield describes her father as a musical genius who squandered countless thousands of dollars spreading his fringe Mormon beliefs. Ralph’s grandiose delusion was that he was destined to become president and save America – a religious and political savior rolled into one.

But that meant his eight children grew up effectively homeless, often underfed, constantly changing schools, all the while believing their father was a divine prophet whose authority superseded even that of the Mormon church.

Carrie was fifth in the Sheffield birth order but became the first of her siblings to break free from her father’s grasp and attend college.

When she left, her father “prophesied” she would be raped and murdered and later claimed divine knowledge of her having an abortion, which never occurred. 

Even after separating from her family – and eventually the Mormon church – Sheffield spent years struggling with her trauma.

She had multiple suicidal episodes, PTSD, and a slew of other mental health problems to overcome.

After giving up religion, she fell into a string of toxic relationships and doggedly pursued the rat race as a policy analyst, which she did very well at.

But despite her professional success, it wasn’t until Sheffield became a Christian that healing truly began. 

“As I returned to a walk with God, I feel enveloped with a sense of peace that surpasses all understanding,” she writes, referring to Philippians 4:7 in the Bible, which promises peace for those who take their worries to God. “My renewed admiration for the mission of Christ to unify and heal breathed new life and joy into my heart. I recovered a sense of confidence, not in myself but in my purpose and identity as a child of God.” 

Motorhome Prophecies is a uniquely apolitical tale that cuts to the chase on life’s most important topics, delving into the themes of generational trauma, abuse, faith, forgiveness and healing.

Sheffield’s tone is refreshingly honest. She sympathizes with her parents’ trauma – her father was sexually abused by a babysitter as a child – and frankly acknowledges the destructive behaviors she perpetuated for years after escaping the motorhome.

She rarely bemoans the failure of social services, family members, or the public school system to intervene in her family’s situation. Instead, Sheffield focuses on the journey of inner healing, a process far removed from any government program.

Though it took her years to climb out of mental and emotional holes that were years in digging, divine grace shines through the pages of Sheffield’s life, reminding the reader that no one is beyond God’s healing, no matter how deep their pain runs.