Jake Hilton is the newest member of the Rood Crew and we want you to get to know him!

Defender of the Faith is a candid interview-style documentary.

Jake Hilton shares his Mormon upbringing, his introduction to Michael Rood, and the challenges of leaving a faith his family has held for seven generations!

Jake Hilton: Defender of The Faith

Earlier this summer, we sat down with Jake Hilton to record a documentary about his journey from Mormonism to Torah-observant teacher. Here is an excerpt from that conversation:

How would you compare your teaching style to Michael’s

“I’m a very different individual than Michael Rood. My personality is very different. My style of teaching is very different. We all have our different talents and abilities, and we’re meant to work together for the overall blessing of the body of Christ and the glorifying of God the Father.”

Tell us about how you first met Michael Rood.

“I had been doing my ministry (The Sword of YHVH) for five years, and a friend of mine who lives in Florida contacted A Rood Awakening and said, “Hey, there’s this guy, Jake Hilton … you should check him out and see if it may be a fit for you to bring him on for Shabbat Night Live.” So, you guys did.. I came out here to do the first teaching series I did, which was entitled “Why I Left Mormonism.” About halfway through that teaching series, Michael Rood walked into the room with his dear, sweet wife, Analil. At that point, it would have been about eight and a half years since I was introduced to the Torah through this very man, and now I get to meet him, put my arms around him, and thank him personally. I started crying. He started crying. It was just an incredible, beautiful moment that I will certainly always remember, always cherish.

We didn’t know that you were homeless when we first invited you to speak; what happened?

“I was living in my van. And there are multiple reasons for that, but it was an extremely challenging time where I had to make a decision. Ultimately, I made the decision to fight for the ministry. And so, I had no roof over my head other than my van, and I kept myself clean every morning by going to the local gym, working out and showering. I went to the public library for my study and my research and I used their internet and private study rooms for doing ministry teachings during that 11-month period of time. God got me through that. And so, when the invitation from A Rood Awakening came, I broke down crying and just giving all praise to YeHoVaH for that gift. And that’s what it was. It was a tremendous gift and blessing and opportunity.