As we observed our children at Fanda and felt that they were happy. They always had good reports from both teachers’ and dorm parents. After a while Noel and I found that maintaining our relationship with our children was becoming more and more difficult, communication was failing and when we asked our children what was going on in their lives we felt we were intruding.

After taking a look at what was going on at Fanda we found that the children in general had no trust in adults and communication wasn’t good. There was an air of rebellion and self harm in some of the children. Our concerns at the time took us to talking with other dorm parents who observed the same as us but couldn’t put their finger on the reason.

An incident of abuse had been reported, that didn’t account for the children’s attitudes. I went to a committee member and said that my concern for the children was so great I thought it would be good for the field to have a youth pastor, he told me that was the work of the dorm parents. I did a lot of reading of books on the field on raising children. One book in particular that really had lasting impressions was on me was about the reason for discipline, was it for approval of others, because I didn’t like the behaviour, or was it because it was a sin. This helped me to change my attitudes about some of the behaviours that our children were displaying or things that they wanted to do.
I was very concerned about my daughter. I felt that she was showing signs of abuse and asked someone on the committee to speak with her which they did. I also went for help to executive committee and a psychologist on the field with another mission. I felt that I got very little help.

Eventually after we got home we realised that our children were wounded soldiers from a war they did not choose to enter. And now we are still getting just as little help.

Kate, the author of that article backlinked to this website because he referenced this site. Backlinks do not guarantee any kind of affiliation or agreement, just so you know.

Sorry to hear about your childhood experiences.

I love that this website is up and I love how much it is helping people. I don’t understand why the McNeal link has been posted. The man accused NTM of saying that the papacy is the “Anti Christ” I am sure no one here really believes that to be NTM’s stance. The rest of his claims that NTM is guilty of genocide are far fetched at best and his entire section on how NTM has been a bad neighbor is biased. I can see that and I don’t know what NTM has to say about it. This link to NTM in McNeal is distracting to your cause and it doesn’t give you credibility. The person posting that article doesn’t sound very credible at all and I think you would do better not to associate with him. He is twisting the information. “The senses deceive from time to time, and it is prudent never to trust wholly those who have deceived us even once” ReneDescartes

I had to read that several times for it to sink in. Even now, I can barely wrap my mind around it. What kind of Christians are we, that people who were abused as little children in a missionary boarding school would have any doubt about the full and unmingled support of the Christian public? Our godless society sends people to jail for abusing kittens, and these poor souls had cause to wonder if we care about kids? What, pray tell, has been communicated to them? By whom, and to what end? And, how?

Yes, I know. People who are victims of abuse – abuse in any form – are often too traumatized, too embarrassed and feel too alone to speak out. This is proverbial in cases of adult domestic abuse (battered spouse syndrome). It is no less true in cases of child sexual abuse. But, when the victims have worked past the shame, the self doubt, the lonliness and the trauma, when they finally speak out, should they not have been able to do so in full confidence of our outrage at what had been perpetrated? Why would they think we think they are worth less than a kitten?

Maybe the answer is both easier and more chilling than we dare to think.

Consider the guest book entry by a person who checks this blog almost daily, hoping to see that New Tribes Mission has taken a firm stand and are fully supportive of “the least of these” – the children, now adults – who were harmed in what an NTM leader himself has called “those dark days at the boarding school.”

This person wants to post anonymously, concerned lest their “New Tribes affiliation could possibly backfire on” them.

How? How could their New Tribes affiliation possibly “backfire” on them for openly “rooting for both New Tribes to be who they can be [and] for the adult MKs”? Hands up, everyone who isn’t rooting for NTM to be who they can be! Even the bloggers are rooting for that. Hands up, everyone who isn’t rooting for the adult MKs! Even people embarrassed by the blog are rooting for them.

How could there be the slightest hint of suspicion that NTM leaders would object to their missionaries’ publicly declaring themselves in favor of justice? Why does this guest fear the consequences of saying they are against child sexual abuse, that they are outraged at the conduct of the leaders with respect to this situation and they want NTM to take a firm stand? Please review the comments above, regarding abuse. “Abuse in any form” includes spiritual abuse, of which this attitude is symptomatic.

A New Tribes Mission Executive Board member told the bloggers: “I can assure you that we have changed our leadership style and the way we work with people.” Yet, their missionaries react with this kind of fear and intimidation? What kind of “leadership style” is at work here? By whom, and to what end? And, how?

Let’s be clear: When NTM missionaries show this low level of trust in their leaders, the bloggers (victims!) can be forgiven for having doubts, leadership style notwithstanding.

If you want to clog up the web like Michael Jackson’s funeral, just start taking stories from other boarding schools!

Also, almost as many adults have been spiritually abused in NTM as children have been abused.

You are to be commended for getting this stuff out in the open.

It may just be that my biblical knowledge is lacking, but I do not know of anywhere in the Bible that it says it is OK to cover up sin as long as “God’s work” continues unhindered. NTM would do well to remember that it is not their job to “save people”, they are not a holy ghost sent out to change people’s hearts. They are God’s tools, and sometimes tools get dull or break down, and it is necessary to replace those tools.

Bonnie, Kari, your parents, NTM, EVERYBODY all need to remember that what is happening now is not the victim’s faults. NTM has had 20+ years to address these issues in an appropriate manner and continues to refuse to do so.

NTM IS NOT THE VICTIM HERE!

I don’t know/if it’s possible what state NTM would be brought to court under, but it would be interesting to find out.