NTM leadership views in the late 80′s
July 31st, 2009
Archive
Archive for July, 2009
Dear NTM – a request
July 31st, 2009
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”. We choose to distance ourselves from such comments as they do not reflect our heart and the heart behind this blog.
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.
Danni Moss article
July 30th, 2009
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
Allen Long
July 29th, 2009
We have decided after much consideration to continue to use this blog for its primary purpose, to reveal abuses against New Tribes Mission MK’s in NTM boarding schools that were never investigated by NTM and remain unresolved.
There were many more abuses within the NTM body committed against missionaries by leadership. We urge you to visit our sister site to read about them or add your own. It is an open forum. All are welcome.
Allen Long’s story and all the comments have been moved here.
Bookmark this website
http://ntmabuse.wordpress.com/
Joel Price – NTM missionary and child porn addict
July 28th, 2009
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
Laura (Burke) Stirling
July 17th, 2009
I was not sexually abused by Dave B. or by anyone else during my lifetime, and for that I am very thankful.
I arrived in Fanda at age 11 in 1993 and was sent to the dorm within 3 weeks of arriving in Senegal for the first time in my life. My parents requested extra time to spend with us kids, but were denied it by the field committee. Although I was excited to be in Senegal, it was very difficult. My dorm parents at the time told me I was a bad influence on the other girls due to the fact that I had just come from Canada. Consequently, they blamed me for many things that I did not do. My dorm dad had an anger problem and repeatedly took me into his office and yelled at me to such a degree that I would cover my face, but I would refuse to cry as I did not want to give him the satisfaction. He also threatened to expel me from Fanda many times. My dorm mom accused me of being a Lesbian at one point and also neglected me when I was sick, which was often that year. I found the atmosphere at Fanda to be judgemental and harsh and my self esteem was damaged through my experience there. It has taken me a long time to rebuild a positive self image.
Unfortunately, when I arrived at Fanda, I heard vague stories of what Dave B. would do to the girls. This was difficult for me to process as a young girl. In 1997, the field committee discreetly recognized the fact that several girls were sexually abused in the dorm, but did not provide any support for the children at Fanda to process this terrible crime. In fact, it was brushed under the carpet and I remember being told that “God was in control” and that all would work out “to his glory”. Perhaps these statements are true within a qualified context. But as a result of these statements I came to mistakenly believe that God must be cruel, forcing girls to undergo sexual assault (as he was in control) through circumstances beyond their control. These thoughts may seem unreasonable now, but to a 15 year old who was not given proper teaching, they were only logical. I began to feel out of control of my life, as if I were a pawn controlled by God, predestined to do “his will”. As a 17 year old when I returned to Canada, I mentally broke down and had to go on antianxiety medication for 2 years. I also attended counselling sessions with a cognitive therapist as well as a psychologist. Both of these professionals helped me to restructure how I perceived my life as well as the lives of others. They helped me to realize that I was in control of my decisions and my life and that some ambiguous god was not. What a relief it was and is to know this truth.
What terrible crimes Dave B. and other people committed when they abused children at Fanda. Their crimes severely affected the children directly involved, but they also affected other children who listened to the abused, wanting to be a support, but also being inadvertently damaged. NTM needs to take responsibility for their lack of action at the time (as well as now) and also for the general damage done to children sent to their boarding school in Fanda, Senegal.
Miriam S
July 13th, 2009
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.
Final plea
July 11th, 2009
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
NTM questionnaire regarding allegations of abuse
July 5th, 2009
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.
Naomi Cleaves (Quilliam)
July 2nd, 2009
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.
More from Miriam C
July 1st, 2009
“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”.
Bonnie C
July 1st, 2009
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.
Statement from NTM
July 1st, 2009
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…
1009239 visits since 07/09
Wall
Latest on Mon, 02:39 pm
: I sit here crying as I read the stories and heartache that has come out of Fanda. I want you all to know I am heartbroken. I was [...]
: All of my encounters with NT members in both Mexico and Colombia (where I was a short-term/long-term missionary) made me very wary of their organization. They seemed almost cult-like in [...]
: Rachel Mullens : Here I take my stand: I am not on a mission of revenge. Whether NTM stands or falls is in God’s hands. I am here to support the [...]
: @Beverly Shellrude Thompson Scott Ross taught some classes at the school and I don't really remember what exactly she did. I just remember them as very caring and genuine people [...]
: Hi Rachel, You said that Scott Ross and his wife were a part of the PNG Boarding School. What role did they have there? Beverly
Recent Comments