New Tribes Mission Abuse

Feb 23 UPDATE

VA went very well. About 15 former MKs were there to share their stories in individual interviews with the Grace team. Grace asked intelligent questions and displayed appropriate outrage about what happened at Fanda and the resulting NTM coverup. This was the first experience for some of us in realizing that by speaking up we are part of the solution – not the problem. To speak up is strength and bravery. Thank you to Grace for their hearts and time and expertise.

Grace will speak to many more MKs and Ms (missionaries and former missionaries) in the next month and they are shooting for final recommendations by end of spring/early summer.

Please email Grace if you still want your voice heard. We are so encouraged. Love.

——————-

Happy 2010 everyone. This is going to be an amazing year.

People have been asking for an update so I thought I’d let everyone know that things are happening! Those of us MKs who want to meet with Grace will be traveling to Virginia most likely the weekend of Feb 19. After that the phone interviews will commence and we should be seeing the final letter of findings by late spring/early summer at the latest.

So many letters are pouring in from MKs who have had an experience of abuse at other NTM schools around the world but because it is now out in the open are finding support/seeking counseling and starting to face those things we might have tried to never think about but that affect us nonetheless.

If anyone wants me to attend their interview/phone interview with Grace I (Kari Mikitson) am available. Please let me know at eagles@peregrinebynature.com.

Love to all,

Kari

Kari Stories

Dear           :

I hope this letter finds you well.  My name is Boz Tchividjian and I am the Executive Director of a non-profit organization called Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment (hereinafter, GRACE).  During the past months, GRACE has been working with former students (hereinafter, MKs) who attended the Fanda School in Senegal and New Tribes Mission (hereinafter, NTM). The purpose of our work is to independently and comprehensively investigate and review numerous allegations of physical, sexual, emotional, and spiritual abuse that was perpetrated upon MKs while attending Fanda.    Though you may very well find this to be a very difficult and painful subject, I ask that you make every effort to read this letter in its entirety.   Please understand, GRACE is not a representative of NTM but is working independently with all parties involved.

Read more…

Kari Stories

UPDATE: There is some misinformation floating around about GRACE, namely that they are “representing NTM” in these abuse matters. In the words of GRACE themselves, they are not NTM’s hired gun, they are a completely independent third party organization who promise to be completely unbiased in making their final report and recommendations.

Hi all Fanda ex-MKs,

Those of us who are seeking closure in this matter would love if you were all willing to speak with GRACE and tell them what you were or were not aware of what was going on on the field. The more insight we have on this matter the more thorough their investigation can be. I personally would be so grateful for your participation.

If NTM lawyers or anyone else “representing NTM” contacts you I would encourage you to refer them to GRACE. We know from speaking to GRACE that they hold the position that the cover up that happened at Fanda is Biblically wrong. GRACE does not represent NTM in any way but has agreed to mediate for both parties as an objective third party.

GRACE would love the opportunity to talk with everyone who attended Fanda from 1985 until it closed in 1997. Please feel free to contact them directly at info@netgrace.org.

I hope everyone takes this opportunity to give your thoughts and share your perspective. I understand some of you wont have abuse claims…GRACE wants to hear from you too. Everyone’s input will be helpful in uncovering how this abuse could have happened.

I’d love to talk to anyone who wants to contact me.

eagles@peregrinebynature.com

Kari Stories

I have had the opportunity to attend a conference GRACE held at Calvary Church in Ft. Lauderdale on how to respond when child abuse occurs within the church. GRACE holds the position that the cover-up of abuse within the church and missions is sinful and those who participate in these cover-ups and inappropriate responses are culpable and must be held accountable.

In a nutshell GRACE’s position on what occurred at Fanda and other schools around the world and in the church is this: GRACE hates sin and coverups. GRACE says God abhors sin and the non-response of the church is sin, and sin will always be revealed in His time. The priest and the levite who passed the wounded man on the road to Jericho were almost surely on their way to do “good religious works” and were probably on their way to the synagogue. But the samaritan was a friend and a neighbor, as we are called to be, and God does not excuse injustices committed in the name of the “greater good”. In fact He abhors it. Doing good works is not an excuse. The church (mission) is culpable spiritually and criminally for covering up.

Last weekend Bonnie and I also flew to Philadelphia to meet with Diane Langberg of GRACE. GRACE is an organization that we feel we can trust to be impartial and to advocate for us for resolution and justice. We want to encourage you to communicate with GRACE your stories and your desires for justice. We have given GRACE the go-ahead to investigate our stories and read all the documentation that NTM sent them on Fanda. Your voices now are going to be instrumental in giving the big picture of what Fanda was like and what really went on.

Please feel free to email me at any time for information. I am also more than happy to sit in on any MK interview if it would be a help to anyone. Let us know if there is anything else we can do. We are excited and encouraged to see resolution and justice to these matters.

Kari

eagles@peregrinebynature.com

Kari Stories

Child Abuse by the NTM Fanda Field Committee?

moderator note: initials are chosen randomly and do not reflect actual names

When A,  B and I were in the little dorm at Fanda in the same room,  B was touched by the dorm dad. In that year  A told her mom that  B and I were doing stuff to each others boobs and asked her mom if that was OK. ( I only found out about this next bit a few weeks ago). Her mom went to the Fanda FC and told them about it and said that this was not normal developmental behavior and she thought that either  B or I were being sexually abused (The mother of  A had been abused as a child).

Instead of investigating abuse they interrogated  A and asked her what else B and I had done together, she said “nothing”. Then they called mine and B’s parents to Fanda, telling them what A said we had done but nothing about possible abuse. They sat B myself and our parents and all the FC men in a room and I don’t remember exactly what they said but they said that we had done something REALLY BAD. They humiliated us and told us to tell them what we had done together. We just cried. This went on for a few days while they told us how sinful these things were (they never actually told us what we had been accused of doing) .

Our parents went home after those first few days then (my mom only found out about this the other day) it got worse. They brought the dorm parents into it ( the dorm dad was B’s abuser) and they told us quite descriptively what we could have done which was nothing that  A ever told them we did and told us it was wrong and we need to confess it to them. We cried a lot. We were forbidden to have any contact with each other. We were questioned together and apart.

I think the dorm parents may have initiated the continued investigation. I can’t understand why they were even involved. When we still confessed to nothing they got us individually in a room with a FC members wife and the dorm mom who hated us because I think she may have had some idea of what her husband was doing. This had gone on for around a week all up by now. We finally both admitted to doing stuff with each others boobs and insisted that there was NOTHING else.
After we told them this they dropped it and it was never brought up again. We always thought that A had told them a bunch of lies and I only found out that she didn’t A FEW WEEKS AGO when I finally found the courage to actually talk about it to her. I also thought that her mom must have told the FC because she thought we were dirty rotten kids. My parents thought that the bit that they were involved in was an overreaction.

All of this destroyed my relationship with my mom. She didn’t stand up for me. And I thought that she believed A’s lies ( which turned out not to be lies) and supported the FC. I told her after this that I didn’t want her to hug me anymore and I decided I was on my own in the world. I hated and didn’t trust any adult. I feel SO sorry for my Mom. She had no idea what actually went on! I love her SO MUCH now and have a very good relationship with her, but this change in our relationship only started to happen after I turned 18.

So… instead of investigating if there could have been any abuse they ATTACKED the abused in front of the abuser. Us children were abused by the FC. I would go as far as to say that it was sexual abuse by them at times. This happened in the 1990’s.

Kari Stories

Hello Former Fanda MKs,

We are in the process of forming a committee to respond to NTM’s choice of third party investigative organization. We are not yet certain that we can agree to mediate through GRACE but in the event that we decide we can we want to be prepared.

If you would like to join the committee please email us. My primary goal is for the protection of the MKs during the investigative process. Email me to find out more or just to let me know your thoughts. This is all of our decision and the committee is being formed for all of our protection, since NTM chose the third party without any input from any of us.

Kari

eagles@peregrinebynature.com

Kari Stories

We are moved by what God is doing through this blog. Please keep praying for God to thoroughly expose the depravity.
A brief summary of our story follows.

In June 1988, just prior to our June 18 scheduled return from furlough to Senegal, we had several phone conversations with Frank S, field chairman in Senegal. We taped one of our phone calls during which we resigned from the field. Then, with urgings from the Executive Committee and a meeting with them in Jackson Michigan, they assured us that they would work with the Senegal committee and the field committee would hear our hearts and be sympathetic with the direction God was leading us in not sending our girls away to boarding school. They encouraged us to return to the field.

In July 1988 we returned to Senegal.   We were met with disdain and accusations from our field committee. We were mocked, ridiculed and scorned. The confrontational meetings sometimes lasted up to 5 hours at a time.   We were told that the blood of the Budiks was on our hands if we didn’t return to Chobo. We were told that we were making our children into gods.  At one meeting a FC leader said to John, “We are four, you are one, God can’t lead you by yourself. “   At that point John told them “Well, if that is your doctrine, then I don’t see how I can submit to that kind of leadership.” That enraged one of the leaders (Bob A) so much he got within inches of John’s face and raged at John that he was in sin.
Read more…

Kari Stories

If you are with NTM you probably recently received this email from us:

Dear New Tribes Missionary,

It is with a heavy heart that we come before you to humbly inform you
of what happened to us as MKs in NTM boarding schools around the
world. We ask you to read the documentation that proves that New
Tribes knew for 20 years about what happened to us yet did nothing to
act on that information. Some of the child molesters are still with
New Tribes to this day, and NTM will no longer communicate with us
about these events.

All documentation can be read here:

http://fandaeagles.com/category/docs/

Please stand up for us and ask your leadership to stop ignoring these
horrible crimes, and to do the right thing, repent and turn from this
sin. We don’t want any more children to be harmed because of the
unconfessed sin on the part of NTM leadership. We know much good is
being done around the world by good missionaries such as yourselves,
and we hope that your work will be fruitful, and that your mission
will take a stand with us against these abuses.

With love,
The Fanda Eagles

–
www.fandaeagles.com

An hour later NTM sent out this memo to members:

New Tribes Mission has been informed that at least one and possibly several former Missionary Kids (“MKs”) connected with New Tribes Mission have recently made statements to the media alleging that they were victims of excessive physical discipline or otherwise suffered abuse at some overseas NTM schools in the 1980s or early 1990s and that NTM has failed to satisfactorily respond to the alleged abuse.

If you are approached in regard to this matter by media and any other outside party other than current and former NTM members and MKs, please refer them to the NTM media spokesperson, Kelly Oliver at (703) 307-9404.

If friends, supporters or others approach you, you can verbally share with them the information that we have shared with you in this document.  We urge you to refrain from saying anything that may be taken as negative toward the MKs who are making these statements.  We value every MK and their families and are committed to seeking the truth. If you as a member have information related to this subject, please contact the Child Protection Committee at: cpc_hq@ntm.org

Kari Stories

Dear Kari and Bonnie,

On behalf of the NTM Executive Board I would like to request the note below be posted to the Fandaeagles blog.  Thank you.

Gratefully,

Britt Hemphill

Announcement from the New Tribes Mission Executive Board

In recent months, a number of MK’s have come forward to express anger, frustration, and hurt as a result of abuse which occurred in the NTM Senegal field during the 1980’s & ‘90’s.   Though NTM has taken some steps in the past to address some of these complaints, the responses were too little, too late.  NTM acknowledges its failure to satisfactorily respond to the disclosures of this awful abuse.  The current leadership of NTM has unanimously determined that this issue must finally be addressed in a comprehensive manner which serves those who were abused and ultimately serves our Lord and Savior.
Though NTM desires to demonstrate authentic repentance and service to those who have been affected by this grave sin, it needs much guidance and counsel in how this is to be best accomplished.    Therefore, NTM has sought the guidance of GRACE (Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment) to insure that it painstakingly responds to this matter with truth, compassion, and completeness.   GRACE is an organization whose sole purpose is to train and equip the Christian community in how to respond to disclosures of child sexual abuse in a manner which serves and honors those who have been abused.   The GRACE board of directors has over 100 years of combined experience advocating for the protection of children.    You can learn more about GRACE and its work at www.netgrace.org <http://www.netgrace.org> .
It is the prayerful desire of NTM that GRACE will be able to work with all parties to bring about authentic healing, restoration, and change.

___________________________________________________________

Tibby on behalf of the CPC

Kari Stories

April 2, 1998

NTM Counselling Centre:

I must admit I was really surprised to receive your letter about the sexual abuse.

My oldest daughter, Krista, is now 19.  She was in the little dorm in the late 1980’s.  It does trouble me that such a great time span has passed before an investigation was started.  I do know that the executive committee knew about this long before 1997.

We first found out about this when Krista was 13 or 14.  We were on staff at Durham and were having a lot of difficulty in our family.  Many factors came into play, one being the sexual abuse in the dorm.  We found a note Krista wrote talking about how useless her life was and all she wanted to do was end it.  It referred to the abuse from “Uncle Dave”.  I can’t remember all that she wrote but needless to say it was upsetting.

We took this note to Chet Plimpton to get his advice.  We were in counseling with him at that time and it seemed like the way to deal with it.

Chet told us of other reports of abuse in the dorm and how one family was taking Dave Brooks to court.  He told us other families were not told about this happening because of the seriousness of it and it was felt better to keep it as quiet as possible.  The only families who were notified were ones who Dave said he assaulted.  Dave never named Krista as one of his “girls” so we were not told.  Looking back I cannot understand why a child abuser would be trusted to tell all the truth and I think all the families with children in the dorm should have been notified.  It was wrong on the part of the leadership to decide what they did.

My husband even called Dave to confront him and Dave assured him that he never touched Krista.

I don’t believe that Dave Brooks never assaulted her, I never did.  All those involved at the time felt he was sincere about it and was remorseful for what he did.  I never found out what happened with his court case, the man should be in jail for what he did to those girls.  Yes, I am bitter towards him and for the way the mission handled the whole situation.  There was more concern about what effect it would have on the mission than that of Krista.  I know there was concern from Chet and those at Durham who knew, but the right actions were never taken.  We were left to try and figure it out and we never had the expertise to handle it.

I also know that Senegal is not the only field where this kind of abuse has gone on.  I only hope there is now better education of all those involved to detect this kind of thing.

Always in the back of my mind was the fact that my girls were going to the dorm and would live among people who loved the Lord and would nurture my children.  All my married life I lived in fear of my husband and believed that the time my girls spent in the dorm would be a time of love and spiritual growth for them.  For Krista it was the opposite, she was one of “Uncle Dave” favourites.  I do hope she writes you, she has a lot of unresolved things to face.  As far as I know my other daughter wasn’t involved.  She remembers nothing about any of it.

I am assuming your letter was sent out to all parents and children who were there at that time.  I hope you keep us involved and informed.  There has been too much secrecy about this.  If there is any further court action I would want to be a part if needed.  I don’t know of anyone else to contact.  I hope this is finally resolved and stopped from happening again

Jill Rowe

Kari Stories

Parents, to distance yourself physically from your kids is not enough. To give them the best you can you must also distance yourself emotionally. July ‘91

Why do they sound so reluctant to have to do something about child molesters? Maybe being molested is also good for children. Oct ‘93

Kari Stories

These are written by Executive Committee Members in the years that the Fanda abuses were occurring.

Kari Stories

7/31/09 — Nothing has been done for Vicky, Kari, Bonnie, Joie, Miriam, Miriam, Naomi or anyone else who has had contact with us through this blog, including MKs from other schools around the world. Abusers named here are still serving with NTM. Unbelievable. Still have not received the list we were promised, and the CPC is not answering our emails.

*Update 7/22/09 – As of today, we still have not received the list we requested.
-  The onus is on Vicky to decide if P’s should be disciplined or not. This is something NTM should handle and leave the victim out of it. She has informed them of the actions she wants taken, and has gotten no response.
-  When Victoria called them today, requesting regular updates on their investigation, she was told by the CPC that they weren’t aware that we wanted updates.  We have made it very clear that we want updates.  In fact, after meeting with them for 19 hours in May, we were promised by them that they would send us regular updates.
- Most of the victims have not been contacted by NTM about their allegations.  We have personally been told by the CPC that they can’t communicate with us because of our blog.   The Senegal Field Committee is also refusing to communicate with us because of the blog.
-  No one has followed up with us about conducting any third party investigation.
- NTM has not reimbursed past counseling charges for most of us.
-  Any communication that we have received from NTM since starting this site has been posted to the site.
In fact, the only things that we have not posted to this blog are a very few comments that were calling NTM “maggots” and saying that “NTM can burn in hell”.

Edit 7/9/09 – Aside from someone in Senegal working on making up (from old yearbooks) the list we requested, we have not heard any response from NTM since our last update – specifically, the EB.  Our emails are getting no reply.  It seems that things are  being left up to us once again.  And it is clear that NTM is not following their own manual.  Victoria’s abuser should have already been confronted, as their own manual dictates.  It seems (from a phone call) that NTM is asking Vicky to confront her own abuser.  This is not acceptable.
We have been hearing from more people behind the scenes, who are also not being cared for by NTM.
Dear readers of this blog – if you feel strongly about this, please post here – that we will not accept being ignored for one more day. -bonnie

In light of your renewed commitment to transparency we, the collective MKs are requesting a list of all MKs and all dormparents/teachers who were closely involved with Fanda from 1988 until the school closed in 1997. We request this be emailed to ntmabuse@gmail.com by COB 7/7/09 at the latest.

Edit 7/6/09- We have heard from NTM that they are working on this list and will be sending it to us shortly. Thank you.

Kari Stories

Adults who were abused emotionally, spiritually, physically and sexually while children in a New Tribes Mission boarding school in Fanda, West Africa are speaking out and seeking justice. The boarding school was for the children of missionaries with New Tribes Mission. It has long been the established practice for missionary children to be sent to boarding schools while their parents served in foreign countries. This practice is not unique to New Tribes Mission, but has been an established practice of most mission boards that I have ever known.

What makes this particular school and situation stand out is that there is now extensively documented evidence that the mission board knew of the sexual abuse by 1987 but did nothing about it. As of the present time, more than 20 years later, they have still taken no legal action and persist in ignoring the pleas of former victims for justice. They are making token noises about the systemic abuse but have done nothing definitive.

Read the full article here

Kari Stories

Kari Stories

Investigators claim to have found more than 6,000 pictures and 250 video clips of child pornography on the computer of NTM Member Joel Price. He was subsequently indicted on two counts of distribution of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography. No charges of sexual abuse were filed and the police do not believe that he had any sexual contact with children.

Here is the timeline:

April 2008: Internet Crimes Against Children task force traced child porn being shared on the Internet to Price’s previous home

May 2008: Joel Price’s computer searched

June 2008: Joel Price resigned from his position as “Youth Pastor” with New Tribes Mission, Sanford, Florida

Read more…

Kari Stories

Kari

Tibby, your manual says you will reimburse counseling costs. How are
you possibly talking about seeking an unbiased opinion here? There is
no question that you need to cover these expenses.

Kari Stories

Kari Stories

I was sexually abused many times by Dave B as a young girl, mostly
during sleep over’s with his daughter. He drew me in by telling me
that I was his best friend and that we could tell each other all our
secrets. He was quite smart in knowing how to win a child’s affection.
Because I wanted that unfortunate “friendship” at the time, and have
never really felt upset by what happened, I thought that it had not
affected me. Only in the last year I’ve realized that it has. Issues
that I thought I was born with were too coincidental with the issues
that others deal with after similar experiences.
I recently learned that my father had gone to NTM headquarters years
ago, trying to see justice done. Not just because of me, but because
he loves his past Fanda students so much. He had an excellent idea on
how to get Dave B arrested on US soil, but the idea wasn’t
used for one reason or another. I want Dave B. prosecuted because I
believe that he is still doing it to others.  I’ve heard that he has
“repented” and is now running a men’s Bible study. I remember him
talking about his close relationship with God while he was touching
me. Don’t be fooled! I was as a child, but we are all adult’s now.
I am not writing this as a victim, but instead to help bring things
into the light. Most of us were quiet for too long and I admire those
who have had the courage to get things moving. I have many happy
memories of Fanda, particularly the sports, and I was privileged to
have some excellent role models. The Rabes, Cheri Colombe, and my
parents are just a few of the many who come to mind. I hope that they
aren’t thinking that those were wasted years after reading the things
that were going on.
I am not naive to the harshness, legalism, and power trips that were
also going on.  I tried hard for years to follow all the rules that I
felt were necessary to have a relationship with God. After failing
over and over, I told God that I was not able or willing to follow so
many rules, and so would not be continuing to try. I was surprised
that He hasn’t gone anywhere. I still feel Him close beside me and He
continues to bless me constantly.  I hope that others haven’t blamed
God for what went on. I have found Him to be our biggest advocate. I
was so encouraged to hear from some of you also, and how you have come
through this. We can make a difference today, by watching out for the
children around us, and by being that safe person that they can talk
to.

Kari Stories

Dear NTM,

We are wondering at your reluctance to communicate with us. When Larry Brown emailed us, and asked us to post his email to our blog, we took it to mean that you supported the blog, and you chose that time to underline your commitment to transparency.

Please understand that going public with our abuses is an extremely difficult and vulnerable time for all of us. We made the blog because NTM had stopped communicating with us and was unable after 8 months of “investigations” to make any concrete changes to their structure. When we asked you for updates, we only received a vague, “We’re investigating”. When we asked for an idea of when to expect action on your part, Larry told us he couldn’t give us even a tentative timeline. Can you understand we have been hearing that you are “investigating” for 12 years? We cannot wait 12 more, or one more.

We were hoping you could be grateful for the blog, for helping us all to understand and uncover what really went on at Fanda. How much of what you now know because of the blog would you have discovered on your own? Probably very little. And there is so much more that is not even on the blog. So much more. When Marv repeated at the Tallahassee meeting what the CPC has said to us before, “It was so long ago, how can we ever know what really happened?” it became clear to us that you didn’t expect nor care to ever know. That was another slap in the face to Senegal MKs. We were there, we know. Ask us.

It is sad to say that it appears that you are dedicated to transparency only when you feel it serves you. I sincerely hope we are wrong about this.

What we are hoping you can think about is this, is the CPC for the victim, or does it exist to protect NTM? We feel if the CPC was for the victims, you would be pulling for us, encouraging us to tell our stories, communicating often with us, questioning our abusers and pushing hard for their dismissal. It seems the role of the CPC is merely to protect the overall mission image, otherwise you would understand what a travesty it is to tell abused children that you are sure their abuser was repentant and wouldn’t abuse anyone else. This is not something an independent child protection agency would ever communicate to an abused child. Do you understand why?

What we have trouble fathoming in all of this is WHY wouldn’t NTM’s response to abuse claims be, “We are outraged that this happened to you in our name. We are so sorry. We will IMMEDIATELY contact these alleged abusers, and keep you informed every step of the process, keep you involved, encourage you to get into counseling and be a support system for you if you feel safe enough to talk with us. And if anyone is found to have abused a child under our watch, we will dismiss them immediately. NTM has no interest in protecting pedophiles and child abusers. We will not be a safe place for people like this ever again. We will investigate swiftly and promise resolution in a matter of weeks for the victim and prosecute anyone guilty to the full extent of the law, and by doing this we will send a clear message to future child abusers and molestors, not this mission. You may not join NTM to prey on the innocent. Our MKs have value to us and we will protect them fiercely.”

NTM, one final plea. It is our belief and a biblical promise that relationship can be restored if there is repentance for sins. We believe our relationship could be fruitful and fulfilling and better than we can imagine. Hear our hearts and respond.

Love,

Kari, Bonnie, and the Fanda Eagles

Kari Stories

Please read the questionnaire here.

NTM, we would like to ask you, have you taken the steps you commit to in the below questionnaire regarding each Fanda abuse confirmed in this website?

MK SafetyNet Questionnaire for Mission Boards regarding Allegations of Abuse ~ Response New Tribes Mission

Does your organization have a policy regarding the handling of allegations or suspicion of abuse of children in schools operated by you or schools where the children of your missionaries are sent?
Yes.

Read more…

Kari Stories

Naomi Cleaves (Quilliam)
When I was 7 or 8, I started having panic attacks in the dorm at night. They had no idea what they were and had my mom take me all the way to Dakar to see a doctor. They may have had something to do with the dorm dad coming into our rooms at night with his torch and looking at us laying in just our undies because of the heat. I don’t know if it was just part of there job but it never felt right to me and I remember a few occasions when I lay very still and pretended to be asleep while he had a good look, because I thought if I moved he would know I was awake and would do something bad to me. I didn’t know what. I also witnessed stuff that didn’t feel right to me.

Read more…

Kari Stories

“ntm does know, but did nothing! my parents told the mission to remove the couple from NTM or my parents would leave…my parents left the mission….need i say more? they wanted to put me on the stand or meet face to face with the couple. my parents said they would not allow any more hurt seen done to me. i was sexually abused when i was 11 and my parents only found out when i was 19 because the dorm dad had some sorta breakdown and started talking a little too much….next thing you know the president of NTM is knocking at our door….that’s when my parents found out. i have never seen my father sob the way he did. and never the less the couple is still being “good ole missionaries”.

Read more…

Kari Stories

When I was seven years old, I went to Fanda.

I had the B’s as dorm parents, and it was… bad. They were physically, emotionally and sexually abusive to all of us who lived with them. (I say all, because we were all abused by them in one form or another) They were dorm parents for my first three years at school, and the things I learned during that time took the rest of my life to work out and un-learn.

Read more…

ntmabuse Stories

Hello Kari, Bonnie (and all):

We read your recently posted blog with great sadness.  We want to apologize again for the hurts you have experienced and to let you know that we at Read more…

ntmabuse Stories

“dear bonnie, i don’t know who started up that blog, but i was very dissapointed to find that there was really only one story going on there! there were several other girls who were abused by other dorm parents years later, including myself. not to mention that most of us suffered from various abuses, not only sexual, but EMOTIONAL, VERBAL and SPIRITUAL.

Read more…

ntmabuse Stories

Two people behind this blog can corroborate Vicky’s stories of these particular dormparents and add their own stories besides.

My name is Victoria Frayne. I am coming forward with information regarding the abuse that took place in Fanda almost 20 years ago. I am a victim and I want my story to be heard.

There are many forms of abuse-emotional, physical, spiritual and sexual. To name a few. While I was growing up in Fanda I endured many of these, handed to me from the people who said they were there to do “Gods work”. When I first came to Fanda, my parents were studying french in Bignona, and I was in the little dorm. Being a small girl and away from my parents, I was lonely and afraid and not sure of how to properly take care of myself.

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ntmabuse Stories

I think some of you would be surprised to know that though we only gave the link to this site to 70 MKs from Fanda, those 70 passed it on and more than 1000 people from NTM have visited the site in the two days it was up. Most of the anonymous commenters are not MK’s, but are former and current NTM missionaries who are righteously and rightfully indignant about being lied to by leadership about the type of environment they were placing their child into.

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ntmabuse Stories

Just want to take this opportunity to share a bit of my story. Minus the Fanda stuff since I think we’re all caught up there.

Briefly, I spent years in deep depression, drug addiction, a runaway with a death wish. I was full of self hate and insecurity. My parents were eager to help but I was full of anger and in my mind they had already abandoned me to boarding school at age eight to survive on my own. If I could raise myself at 8 I certainly could at 12, 13, 14, and so on. I told them in a letter from one of my youth homes or rehabs to give up on me. “Consider me dead already”, I said, “I do.” I believed in God but believed he cared nothing for me.

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ntmabuse Stories

I realize that asking for repentance is not a quantifiable thing and it may be hard for you to know “what we want”. Repentance is so much more than fulfilling someone’s demands so you can ‘get to the other side of this’. While I think true repentance would illuminate your path and make clear the steps of restitution, I understand that we cannot count on repentance. I believe real repentance would look something like the below, when acted upon out of a broken and contrite heart.

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ntmabuse Stories

Please read these amazing essays, letter and stories from MKs who went through this long before we did. Read more…

ntmabuse Resources

Words cannot say how disappointed I am regarding New Tribes Mission’s lack of effort to claim responsibility and enforce legitimate consequences for Bill P. A child (my brother) should never be abused. This crime should not happen, ever. Especially when it undermines the trust of parents and child, at no fault of the parent. If sufficient consequences are not dealt to the abuser, regardless of how much time has gone by, it destroys the victims belief in their self worth and importance. Why would this not be so? What reasonable and thinking adult would deny this reality?

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ntmabuse Stories

As a young child at Fanda, I was supposed to be protected from the supposed evils of the “non christian” world I was put in. I myself endured many abuses while at Fanda and years later, Im about to have my voice heard as well.
I went to outside to play with friends after being beaten with a belt and they asked why I had buckle marks on my legs. For not brushing my teeth.

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ntmabuse Stories

The aftermath of my own abuse has affected my children as well as myself and my husband. For years, I suffered from severe depression, and alternate periods of mania.  For years, I carried such terrible anger inside me.
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ntmabuse Stories

ntmabuse Stories

Why, if there is true repentance on the heart of the committee, is it 20 years now and still no phone calls or reaching out toward those that have been wronged in the name of NTM? Only form letters. Why? Is there real repentance? No, this is just a problem that had gotten too large to control or to hide and had to be acknowledged. NTM always had time when people were ‘in sin’ for personal interrogations, lengthy meetings and judgments of sin. But woefully little is done when it is time for them to repent. Do you think NTM needs to make a real study of repentance? (MK to CPC 4/09)

ntmabuse Stories

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Kari Documentation

1987 – First victim reports Dave B. Her parents and the FC don’t believe her.  3 page document

Sept 29, 1988 – Ron A’s letter to the budiks re: Miks leaving the field because of their kids

1989 – John Mik calls ntm to report his daughter’s abuse, Dave B. admits to abuse of Kari Mik and several others

October 1992 – NTM phone call with Dave B in which he confesses again to NTM and apologizes for the last 5 years. 2 page document

April 1997 - letter of apology

July 1997 – Potential victims and specific incidents (children in Dave B and Phil G dorm)

September 1997 – NTM Abuse investigation officially begins.

October 1997 – Investigation letters sent to Dave B and Phil G

May 1998 – Wyma’s letter to Frank apologizing that it’s still an issue

June 1998 – Letter to unnamed victim sent

Feb 1999 – Mikitson’s letter to FC

April 09 – NTM EC confirms the date they officially learned of Mik’s abuse and that they did not launch an investigation for 8 years

1997 Investigation seems to consist of sending a form letter to all involved and putting the onus on the victims to respond. Paul W was dispatched to Senegal to interview students. Names several that NTM needs to follow up with. No follow up is done.

Present – No charges filed against any abuser. No follow up with students. No repentance on the part of NTM. Many abusers still with NTM today.

Kari Documentation

The press and several lawyers have contacted us expressing interest in our stories since we’ve started coming public with it. We would LOVE to be able to say that NTM is our greatest advocate, after our parents.

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Kari Documentation

Response to Kari M’s request for information. I would like to say here that the CPC (Child Protection Committee) at NTM seems to be genuine hearts with pure motives for finding out the truth. Thank you so much.

date Fri, Apr 3, 2009 at 10:57 PM
subject Some new information
mailed-by ntm.org
Kari,
I will try to get the paper trail on this but so far it looks like your dad wrote to the field (they remember it but didn’t find the letter) and told them about the abuse. There were no details and they had a hard time believing it and felt like your dad was using that as a way to vindicate his reason for not going to the tribe. Evidently, in about 1989, your dad called someone here in the States and said that you were in counseling and the abuse story came out. (It wasn’t clear whether you told your folks about the abuse and then went to counseling , or you went to counseling and the story came out.) Three men sat down with Dave B here in the States and confronted him. He finally confessed to some involvement in abuse with you and a couple of others. Your dad also said that the counselor had alerted the authorities regarding Dave B. Since the authorities had already been alerted by the counselor, NTM did not report him at that time. NTM did know from your dad that you were in counseling. I’m not sure whether or not they contacted your parents – possibly I will find out a bit more about that when I receive the documents that Scott Ross sent to Sanford.

Dave B was later reported to the authorities again by NTM both in Florida and Georgia in about 1997. According to what I’ve read from the material sent from Senegal – it seems that the information from the meeting here in the States with Dave B ’s confession, was not relayed to the field until much later. That is hard to believe but that is what I’m hearing. Dave B was dismissed from NTM at the time of his confession.

Scott Ross had told me in the past, that NTM has an open policy regarding people looking at personal files. Scott confirmed to me today that we do indeed have an open policy but it requires someone to personally look at the files at NTM Headquarters. If they want a copy of something it can be made for them at that time. The same applies to any field committee minutes that may be in the files at Sanford. However, If you want to see information regarding you and your family, that is in the files on a field, they can show that to you there. I am sorry that I did not understand this from the beginning. As I mentioned, I took the open policy to mean that I could send you anything from here.

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Kari Documentation

Admin notes – I am so saddened that an investigation against Dave B wasn’t launched until 1997. Nearly 10 years after he was reported to the field and supposedly dismissed.

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Kari Documentation

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Kari Documentation

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Kari Documentation

Letter written from Ron Abram of the Senegal Field Committee to the Miks and the Budiks after the Mik family determined they could not continue to board their children at Fanda, and were not permitted to live at the school. They were told they were in spiritual rebellion to the leadership and thus were dismissed from the field. This is right before they knew of their daughter’s abuse.

Today in 2009, Ron Abram of the FC says they made some mistakes and would have done things differently. Instead of allowing Miks to live on the boarding school base with their kids for 6 months they would be dismissed from the field immediately.

September 29, 1988
Dear John & Diane
The believers and others have been asking when you will be coining back to stay. At first we were able to say it would be by Christmas or that it wasn’t time yet. But now that we have sent your cupboards and other things out, people have really begun to say that for sure you are not coming back. We feel that we need to explain to the believers, at least, that you say that you have decided to not return to Chobo and why. What follows is what we are planning to tell the believers.

What we have to tell you today is hard for us to say. We wish that we didn’t have to say it. John has told us that he and Diane will not be coming back to Chobo to live and work. He said that he is not needed here in the work. He says that he needs to be with his children and that he can’t be here helping you and meeting the needs of his children both. He says that the Lord is leading him to do this, and that he is in fellowship with the Lord.
All of this is probably very hard for you to understand. The Lord used John in your salvation. Many of you first heard the Word of God through him. You probably feel he is really following the Lord. You love him as a friend and brother in the Lord.
We love him too. We feel that we need to explain something’s to you. John will not agree with what we are going to say. Even we whites who seem to be following the Lord can refuse to do what the Lord says. We feel that the Lord wants John and Diane here at Chobo with us. We want them here, too. John has the gifts and abilities to help you better in some areas than we can. We need all the parts of the body of Christ. We are all necessary.
We need and want John and Diane here even though they say that they are not needed at Chobo, Not only do we feel that John and Diane should be here, all of our field leadership feels this way as well. The field leadership talked and they all feel that John and Diane should be at Chobo with you Budiks. John and Diane refused to come back to Chobo. God leads through leadership. The field leadership feel that God’s place for John and Diane is with you. John says that God is not leading them back to Chobo. God does not lead in two different ways. He does not tell the leaders one thing and John and Diane something different.
John says that he can’t help you and meet his children’s needs both. The Lord expects us to take good care of our children and meet their needs. That is what God has said. He has also given us abilities to do His work here on earth, and with His help we can do both in a way that will bring honor and glory to Him. We believe that John’s own desires to be with his children and to do other things are keeping him from seeing and following what the Lord wants.

All of this could be very discouraging to you to see a believer you love not walking with the Lord. Each of you needs to decide that no matter what anyone else does you will follow the Lord. We love John and Diane and still want them to come back. Let’s pray that they’ll respond to the Lord’s leading and be willing to come and be used of God to build all of us up in the faith.
John and Diane we love you and you are needed here very much in the work. We are not in any way wanting to put you down by telling the believers these things. We feel that the believers need an honest answer as to why you are not coming back. We can’t tell them something that we don’t believe or not say anything at all.
Your Teammate

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Kari Documentation

At this time I was 15 and was living in a group home for intensive counseling.

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Kari Documentation

The EC claims Dave B was dismissed from NTM in 1989 due to the abuse claims of Kari Mik. The FC claims Dave B resigned of his own accord for other reasons.
If Dave was dismissed in 1989, why was this letter not sent until 1997?

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Kari Documentation

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Kari Documentation

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Kari Documentation

We have decided to black out all names from these files unless given specific permission to publish them. These files were handed to me and another MK at a meeting with NTM in May. Please note that these files are open Sanford files, which means anyone can go there and view them.

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Kari Documentation

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Kari Documentation