MK forum

Eenie, meanie
Miney, mo
Where am I from
I have to know

Stars and Stripes
Or Maple Leaf
Get it wrong
And come to grief

Canada is colder
But Commonwealth
America is bigger
And has more wealth

Such dilemma
What a choice
Perhaps divine intervention
I await The Voice

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So I was out of touch for that conference in Chicago last year. How did it go?

I'd love to see some posts from others who attended the conference last year in Chicago. There were several NTM MKs there who have posted here from time to time. I hope they will respond to your question.

For me, the conference was incredible. I noticed the immediate connection that MKs feel with one another, even when they are from different countries, missions and age ranges.

The speakers were phenomenal. Wm Paul Young, an MK himself with abuse in his childhood, was the most moving and inspirational to me.

One thing I really appreciated was that there was not a heavy-handed Christian tone to the conference. Some of the speakers definitely brought their faith into their presentation, but there were others who were not there to talk about faith. There was a well-rounded list of sessions, including alternative therapies for PTSD and other helpful things. I hope this will not change, as the attendees are not all in the same place in their journey, and do not gather together to be preached at (no one preached ... I'm just saying, I hope no one ever will).

The turn-out was disappointing, I think. So much work and effort went into planning a tremendous conference, with top-notch speakers. Thousands of MKs could benefit from such a conference. So I do hope the attendance will grow significantly.

The Open Letter to Missionary Parents that I wrote was a direct result of my being at the conference. I was shocked that I appeared to be the only missionary parent of abused MKs who was there, and my shock led me to make an effort to get the attention of missionary parents who, like myself, placed their children in boarding schools.

Last year's conference was the first such one MKSN ever held. The expenses were subsidized in a big way by a memorial fund for Marilyn, the sister of Beverly Shellrude Thompson, who passed away before the conference for MKs which she dreamed of became a reality. I will be curious to see what next year's conference will cost. The expense can be a big deterrent for many of us.

I hope many MKs will be able to attend next year. Enthusiastic participation by a large number of MKs will make a great conference even better!!

This conference will also raise awareness of the subject of MK issues and the challenges many of us struggle with as a result of our childhoods. The larger the group at next year's conference, the more the media will take notice.

Christianity Today will be running an article on MK abuse in this upcoming March issue. Several of us who were in Chicago were interviewed for this article. It's taken a long time to see it published, but it's now going to be a reality, so look for the March issue, coming out in just a few days!

The Chicago Tribune also ran an article about the MKSN conference last year, and CBN covered it too.

Thanks so much Raz

Bemused I do hope you will be able to attend.

The cost is about the same. But we did start with 15,000 for the conference last time. Anyone have any great fund raising ideas send them along. Any one have a couple dozen 1,000 bill laying around wouldn't be bad either.

I am very excited about more showing up. Fanda Eagles has done so much to reach so many MKs. The subject of MK abuse is not as unheard of as in the past. But just talked to a pastor's wife the other day who couldn't believe that missionaries would abuse, but she did believe me and wanted to know if missionaries from her denomination were involved. Hope to see a lot of Eagles flying in to the conference. Bemused forget paddling your way fly.

That is good news, Shary, that you are trying to hold the cost down. I was afraid it would be much higher than the last one.

I wonder if there are any grants available for such a conference. As you say, there is more awareness of child abuse and its long-term effects than there used to be. Perhaps there are foundations who have grants available to those seeking to help abuse survivors?