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 Post subject: Re: TIMELINE
PostPosted: Thu Sep 23, 2010 5:16 pm 
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Posts: 223
84-85 was my first grade year- they were there!


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 Post subject: Re: TIMELINE
PostPosted: Thu Sep 23, 2010 5:17 pm 
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89-90 Parkers on furlough; Nicholsons in dorm


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 Post subject: Re: TIMELINE
PostPosted: Thu Sep 23, 2010 7:04 pm 
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I think the Parkers were dorm parents before the date you have put. I think this because I was at Via in the 1970s. I remember having to go to the little dorm to wash windows as a punishment and it was Frank Parker that gave the punishment.This would make it around 1976. Is this possible? Or was he not in the dorm, but working at the school? I remember that that he and his wife had a baby boy and a couple of other kids including an angry older son.


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 Post subject: Re: TIMELINE
PostPosted: Thu Sep 23, 2010 8:29 pm 
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I and my brother arrived at Via in fall of 1988. Parkers were dorm parents at that time. My younger brother lasted one year with them. Likely as the result of reading the FANDA report, a lot of memories surfaced for him. He mentioned to me that he never was sexually abused, but that he suffered every other kind of abuse while living in the little dorm from 1988-89.

My time-line memory:

1988 I and my brother began attending Via
1988-89 Frank and Joanne were little dorm parents
89-90 Parkers on furlough, Nicholsons in dorm
90-92 I believe Parkers were once again assigned as dorm parents to the little dorm during those years.
1992 I left with my parents on furlough, spent my senior year in the states and graduated.


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 Post subject: Re: TIMELINE
PostPosted: Sat Sep 25, 2010 12:48 pm 
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"During my first four years 1978-1982, they were not dormparents. In fact, I don't remember them being at Via during that time. But they might have been be[quote][/quote]fore that, as you point out. Their youngest boy was born around 1971, and he graduated in 1989. Their youngest son was in the little dorm with me from 1978-1981, and the Parkers were not dormparents. I'm pretty sure they were still working in the Gaviao tribe. I'm estimating a furlough for the Parkers in 1981-1982, followed by their first year in the little dorm, in the "modern" era".

That would mean then, that they were at Via. when I got to know them because they were learning Portuguese or being prepared to go to the Indian Tribe. He was teaching and meting out punishments even though not a dorm parent.

My memories of Via are from the 1970s. There was lots of spiritual abuse that was reminiscent of cultic attitudes about authority, physical abuse - lots of beatings for anything, and emotional abuse - lots of public humiliations, board meetings, calls to repentance etc. As far as I know, and my knowledge is limited to a few years and a few dorms, there was no sexual abuse at the time.

That means, in my opinion, that the spiritual, emotional, physical abuse prevalent created an atmosphere in which sexual abuse was able to take place. The insistence on unquestioning submission to authority, the silencing of anyone who disagreed, whether student or otherwise, the basic disrespect for the rights of individuals, all of these things created what was needed for an abuser to thrive unquestioned for many years. This to me is a serious indictment of a system and needs to be brought out into the light so that it will not happen again. It also needs to be brought out into the light to vindicate all victims of the different types of abuse. That is why I am hopeful there will also be a Grace report on Via.

Though I am 'pre-modern' (see above quote), and not NTM, I nevertheless suffered a lot at Via. No I was not sexually abused, but I and others suffered at the hands of people who were highly authoritarian, and seemed to enjoy the pain they inflicted via beatings and humiliations. There was a group of very disturbed people in charge of underage children. This also has to be brought out into the light out of respect to those such as I who suffered there at the time and as an analysis of how evil such as child abuse can come to pass. Like I have already said, I believe the child abuse grew out of an atmosphere that was conducive to the ultimate disrespect of a human being. The disrespect that already existed led to the greater horror of child abuse. Thus I don't think the voices of the 1970s should be ignored, and I'm sure if there is a Grace report they won't be, because we are 'pre-modern' or didn't suffer sexual abuse (as far as I know). Our voices should not be silenced nor should we be overlooked because we can help start showing how evil grows like a fungus and how a religious organization can gradually become so insulated and corrupt that a child abuser can get away with abusing children for years.

This is also not an indictment of NTM as a whole, but of a certain place and time. At this particular boarding school, from the 1970s to the 1990s (are my dates correct?) the corruption grew and grew until it festered into continuing child abuse which was then covered up.

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 Post subject: Re: TIMELINE
PostPosted: Sat Sep 25, 2010 2:14 pm 
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Here's something that I wrote to someone in NTM who is involved with the Child Protection Committee:

I would like to see a complete paradigm shift in the way that MKs are cared for and treated. I would like to see the following statement adopted by all mission organizations in relation to all issues pertaining to MKs:

"The children of missionaries must be considered an integral part of the [mission's and]* missionaries' ministry and must be treated with the same dignity and respect as their parents."

I think that this would go a long way in eliminating the atmosphere where abuse can occur and be hidden.

* not in my original statement

BTW, as far as I can recall, the Parker family arrived in Vianopolis in 70 or 71.


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 Post subject: Re: TIMELINE
PostPosted: Sun Sep 26, 2010 4:20 pm 
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JerryB I agree with your statement. Children of Missionaries shouldn't be treated as if they aren't just as important as their parents ministries.


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 Post subject: Re: TIMELINE
PostPosted: Wed Oct 06, 2010 1:14 pm 
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Any body else missing Ornery thornery and Publis and some of the others? Are you all OK? Still fighting for truth and justice? we need you!


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 Post subject: Re: TIMELINE
PostPosted: Thu Oct 07, 2010 12:50 pm 
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recrudescent, rehabilitation, rejection, remedial, repulsion . . . .


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 Post subject: Re: TIMELINE
PostPosted: Tue Oct 12, 2010 10:32 am 
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Blaming parents is an easy out. For those children of NTM missionaries, one has to appreciate the culture of inclusiveness and fear perpetuated throughout NTM by NTM and its leadership. For those who were second or third generation missionaries, the "cult" of mission above family was deeply pervasive. So pervasive, in fact, that the effects of such sloppy, shoddy, and downright "evil" (in some instances) distortion of Biblical principles made many parents incapable of recognizing or, if they did recognize, fearful of reprisals that would come were they to take a stand.

For many NTMers, the mission was their life; indeed, for many the mission also encompassed many family members. As such, disclosures of uncomfortable things, much less than reporting abuse, was verboten. The schism that could result threatened much more than simply NTM, but families, cousins, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles . . .everything!

Am I excusing parents or, anyone in spiritual positions of authority, from doing nothing . . . NO! However, I am offering up my heart in an effort to understand why some tongues were silent. What is inexcusable, nearly unforgivable, is when some KNEW, but did NOTHING! Indeed, some were part of a cover-up. And yes, to those who covered abuse up, or who perpetrated the abuse, these disclosures WILL hurt family members who may not have known the ugly side of their parents or close relatives. I suppose one could feel for the offspring of Achan here . . .but that didn't stop God from eradicating them. In using the example of Achan, I am not saying we who seek justice seek eradication. Only God can do that (please, no discussion on the merits of capital punishment is being debated in this instance!). What I am saying is that we are calling for NTM to view as completely abhorrent the sin perpetrated on precious children . . .just like Jehovah God would view it. Moreover, we wish for NTM to deal with sin as completely as they are called to do by the same Living God.

Do parents share blame? Yes, they do; but before blaming them let's look at a culture bred by an organization that used the parents zeal for spreading the Gospel as an instrument to browbeat any who dared see things in a different light and attempted to point them out. Let's be wise in our righteous anger.


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