MK forum

Who cares how old the abusers are? How old were some of the victims? Seven, did I hear 7? Like I said elsewhere, retirement does not acquit these "abuser missionaries." Full stop.

Alas it would appear as young as 4 some MKs were abused sexually. To sexually abuse a child one has to be evil, to sexually abuse a 4 year old is sick and evil. Just because a paedophile is old and a bit feeble is no reason for justice not to be done. Many victims have been handed a life sentence by the actions of those who have never paid for their crimes. So a paedophile goes to jail and that is their last forwarding address, tough, to bad, at least we know they won't be raping, molesting, beating and assaulting the next genertation of kids, because they'll be nice and secure.

I am posting this for a friend, since the Internet is not her "friend"

I only became aware of this forum on Friday. Since my folks left the mission in 1958 I have been totally out of touch with Tambo and NTM. I am out raged and shocked at what I am reading. I can't even begin to tell you how my father who was the director of NTM in the fifties would have reacted. I do know that if he had been aware of any abuse it would have been addressed and it was at the field level during my stay at Tambo during the mid-fifties. I was a high school student at Tambo for 3 years. During that time I was subjected to sexually explicit conversations by the principal which involved some touching. Fortunately a field director's wife I had known for years visited the school and I felt I could confide in her. The principal was removed. To confirm what Batty has said there was another girl who was sexually abused and possibly more girls. We were also subjected to unannounced visits to the girl's dorm rooms during the day and frequently caught changing clothes. All this seems very minor compared to some of the abuse I am reading about.

For all the students who have suffered abuse I don't understand why no one heard/saw or listened. Where was that one staffer with a soul? There are so many kinds of abuse, some more subtle than others. And where were the parents? In my case my step-mother took me to task for what happened to me. I was the victim not the perpetrator. This can be very tough on a kid's self-esteem. When I related details of my encounter to the field director's wife my chest was so tight I could hardly breath. I was shaking. I guess the thought of retribution never crossed my mind when I spoke out. I was so relieved to be free of this entanglement. I was asked for forgiveness which was given. But predators never change and just move on unless someone higher up takes responsibility to out them. My experience at Tambo doesn't even begin to compare with what has happened to too many students. My brother was also at Tambo but my dad pulled him out of school for a year because he was having a tough time.
Parents should listen and trust their kids until proven otherwise.

I applaud those who have given their real names especially those who have had such painful experiences at the hands of very sick people. I hear you when you talk about the loneliness and abandonment felt by all ages. I did not use my name when posting comments yesterday. Can't find the post now. Maybe it evaporated like stuff does on computers when you don't want it to - a little posting challenged here. I was more concerned about who might be hurt by my comments. For them I am truly sorry.

My father became director of the mission when the founder was killed in a plane crash along with my mother who was on the same flight. It was a devastating loss for me and my brother. We were too young to really understand what running a mission was all about. Our father was not available much of the time because he was busy doing mission work. I can't speak for him now but knowing who my father was I trust he would not have been a part of the cult or corporate mentality which I keep reading about. He was a humble, very caring man who met you where you were, never judgmental and always had a twinkle in his eye. He was a refreshing example of what it meant to be a Christian. He was also a very bright man with an engineering bent who tired to find better ways to get the job done. After we left the mission I got to know my dad better. He was always in my corner no matter what.

I encourage all of you on this site to use your real name. Do not be intimidated.
Sandra Garber

My Dear Batty,

If I could reply to your friend re the issue of working with Anonymous status.
I am no expert on the laws and procedures of other countries but I know in New Zealand that the victim is afforded name suppression (unless they ask not to) as an almost automatic right. The offender sometimes is, to protect the victims identity. The weight of the law is firmly on the victims side, for abusing a child is seen as a serious crime and even criminals have very little tolerance for those who participate in such activities.

In my own case, I have made no secret of the fact that my aim in this matter is to bring to justice those who perpetrated the crimes of which we speak. My real name is totally irrelevant to most people on this site as we were never in the same country, however those who need to know who I am, certainly do. I would venture to say that any NTM related person in New Zealand is now well aware of who "Bemused" is, as what I have exposed has major implications for them all. No one has ever disputed the validity of what I write, some would have prefered that "Bemused" had never found his voice and others are grateful for what I write. However my sympathy lies with those who are victims not those who choose to sit on the fence or who actively participated in abuse or the coverup thereof. In New Zealand there is no more fence to sit on, it has now been dismantled.

Removing the burden of using ones own real name has enabled many to attain the freedom they need to speak out, it certainly has for me. And speak out is one thing we all need to do.

Hope that suffices as an explanation.

Cheers

Bemused (from Downunder)

Hi Bemused - I have enjoyed reading your posts - and I understand the anonymity. I've disguised my own name, too. There are several on here using their full names, and some thinly disguised. I think it's nice that there is an option. Some people are shy about sharing personal information so the option of a screen name is helpful. My friend doesn't mind stating who she is, so that's fine too. I'm just glad that the word is finally getting out, and hopefully, the law will step in and bring some justice with it.

THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST DIFFICULT THINGS I EVER DID IN MY LIFE. I CAME ACROSS THIS FORUM NOT LONG AGO, AND HAVE SPENT, SINCE THEN, HOURS AND HOURS AND HOURS READING THROUGH ALL THE THREADS, THROUGH ALL THE PAGES, READING THESE TERRIBLE STORIES, CRYING MOST OF THE TIME, SPECIALLY WHEN I FOUND OUT THAT FRIENDS WHO I HAD BEEN IN THE SAME DORM, HAD BEEN HURT; LITTLE KIDS WERE HURT, YOUNG BOYS WERE HURT, IT IS NOT HEARTBREAKING, IT IS HEART SLAUGHTERING!!!!!! MY DISAPPOINTMENT OF TAMBO AND ITS PEOPLE AND THE MISSION ITSELF WAS SO BIG! I ALREADY DISLIKED TAMBO FOR PERSONAL REASONS, BUT NOW.... I WAS IN TAMBO THE YEARS 1987-1990, I WAS NOT AN MK, MY FAMILY AND I CAME FROM BRAZIL. MY NAME IS IONE K. BETTI C. I WAS SEXUALLY ABUSED BY PAUL GESS DURING THE TIME I WAS THERE. I HAD ALREADY POSTED HIS NAME ON THE LIST, AS BLOND. THE ONLY REASON THAT I AM POSTING THIS WITH MY REAL NAME, IS BECAUSE I NOW KNOW I WASN'T THE ONLY ONE TO BE ABUSED BY PAUL GESS. THERE ARE OTHERS AND BY DOING THIS, I HOPE THAT THE OTHER VICTIMS WILL COME FORWARD. IT IS SICK TO KNOW THAT A PERSON YOU TRUSTED AND LOOKED UP TO IS SO TWISTED - PEDOPHILE. I KNOW HE WAS IN CHARGE OF THE HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS DORM 1996 IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN, SO THERE'S PROBABLY A LOT MORE TO INVESTIGATE. PLEASE VICTIMS, COME FORWARD! WE CAN MAKE THIS RIGHT!!!! I KNOW IT'S HARD. IT WAS HARD FOR ME. I KNOW IT'S SCARY, IT WAS SCARY FOR ME. I KNOW ALL THE FEELINGS... BUT WE HAVE TO BE BRAVE AND MAKE THE SINS OF THIS MAN KNOW TO ALL!!!! BE COURAGEOUS!!!! LOTS OF LOVE TO YOU ALL OUT THERE!

IONE BETTI

God bless you, Ioni. May He strengthen you in your long journey to justice and healing. Thank you for your courage. Just so you know, there were those of us in NTM who were also very disappointed. Here in Bolivia we discovered an NTM that we did not see throughout the training. And it is more disturbing now to see that it was far worse than anything we could have imagined. While there were some good people in NTM, there was also una juaría de sin vergüenzas (a pack of shameless ones, which really doesn't translate well from Spanish to English). Maybe the words of Jesus would be more appropriate: vipers, whites sepuchers, full of dead men's bones. Please know that you have our support.

My dear Ione,

You have more courage than the men in NTM.
Those who should have been protecting you and your sister and the other children.
Our children.
Yes, our hearts have been absolutely slaughtered way before this.
Now you know what we have been reading here for the last 2 years.
What we have been standing up for.
And why we are so intent upon supporting these MKs and abused adult missionaries.
Intent upon supporting you and your sister.
Some of us see the devastation in our child's life
And still do not know what he went thru.
No one wants to talk about something so horrid.
So some are not.
Bless you for speaking out.
I know your testimony made many hearts beat faster with unbelief and shock.
But we believe you.
We stand behind you with our love and prayers and with whatever action we can take.
Who is Ione?
With a few others, the most courageous of all the Tambo kids of our day.
Speaking out for the sake of justice and for YOU.
Don't be silent.
Know we all hurt for you and want to wish your past away and put something different in that place.
There is healing in a group where love and concern are uppermost.
Love you, Ione!