I'm sure this has been posted somewhere on these forums, but I was doing a little research online and found this letter posted on Red Baron's blog, of all places. This is my first time seeing it.
Dear MK Survivors,
Many of you were hurt deeply by people you trusted when you were children. I recall Jesus’ words as He spoke to his followers, “And if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone tied around his neck.” What happened to you wasn’t right, is unconscionable and is indefensible.
I am the recently appointed Director of Child Protection for NTM and I am writing this letter knowing our communication with you has been insufficient and sporadic at best. It has been said, that for an organization that specializes in cross-cultural communication, we have failed to communicate well with you. That is true. And this failure to communicate well must end. This is the first of periodic updates I will send to Andy Kline and Tibby Westcott.
They will email these updates to those of you who want to receive them. However, we know that words are cheap. Actions matter.
It took NTM far too long to come to grips with what happened to you, and the full stories are still not known in all cases. It was wrong for missionaries or those connected with NTM to abuse kids. It was wrong that those in leadership who knew about it didn’t do more to stop it. It was wrong that there was a level of fear that stopped many kids from reporting it. It was wrong that some reports which were received weren’t believed. I could go on. There are many more wrongs which could be listed. But they weren’t just “wrongs.” They were sins – sins against kids, sins against their parents and sins against God.
It took us too long to get independent investigations underway. It will take longer than we want for those investigations to be completed. But the stories need to be told and the abusers need to be prosecuted. I’m sure there are many who don’t believe this, but we want abusers to be prosecuted.
We hired Pat Hendrix to create and lead an independent investigation process. She has complete access to our records. She and her team vet and choose investigators. Those investigators answer to her, not to us. She is the one who will compile the final report of an investigation and she is the one who will choose the panel to make recommendations based on the final report. Any concerns or questions about any of the investigations may be directed to Pat Hendrix at
pat.mkguardian@gmail.com. Some recent events you may be interested in knowing about are:
May 2011 – Pat Hendrix, independent investigations coordinator, announced that the Independent Historical Abuse Review Team (IHART) named its first investigative team. Its task is to investigate historical reports of child abuse at NTM’s school at Vianopolis, Brazil.
Sept 2011 – IHART received all of NTM’s files on historical child abuse cases in Bolivia, Brazil, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Mexico, Venezuela and Panama. Investigations were slated to begin as investigators were in place. Experienced investigators were being recruited, interviewed and oriented.
Dec 2011 - IHART named its second investigative team. This team is investigating historical reports of child abuse at NTM's school at Tambo, Bolivia. Over the next few weeks the team began receiving information and orientation and met with each other. The team began contacting survivors the week of January 1, 2012.
Jan 2012 – 1) Investigators began reviewing historical and general information from Vianopolis school and field records. The team began conducting follow-up interviews with identified survivors and those wishing to provide information to the team. 2) IHART named its third investigative team. This team is investigating historic reports of child abuse at NTM's school in Panama.
Is NTM the same today as it was 20 years ago? I pray to God that it isn’t. God may choose to close down NTM. God may choose to allow NTM to continue to exist. We don’t know what the future may be but we want to act in a way that reflects His character
Since the mid 90’s, NTM has continued to establish and strengthen child protection policies and procedures. This has not happened at all locations at the same rate, and although just one incident of abuse is one too many, statistics show that the incidence of child abuse dropped off dramatically in the mid 90’s. Our training programs teach prevention and accountability. Our screening procedures have improved dramatically. Our educational emphasis in our mission, including home schooling, day schools and our few remaining boarding home programs are focused on what is best for each individual child, not what is best for “the work.” We cannot undo the past, but our watchwords in the area of abuse must be – “Never Again.”
I pray that NTM will demonstrate the fruits of genuine repentance. If we don’t, I pray that God removes us quickly.
Brian Shortmeier
Director of Child Protection
NTM USA Executive Board Member
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