MK forum

I remember a lot of "prayer requests" being mentioned in chapel or Sunday night service that I didn't know about, having to do with my parents and the safety concerns in the location they were in. It was very upsetting to hear about it from another adult and not directly from my parents. I would sometimes go for months without any news from them, and then I would hear something in Chapel.

Worse yet, my parents would call, and whatever they told us was repeated in the context of a prayer request in chapel or Sunday night church, and I knew that that person had been listening in on my entire conversation with my parents. I never felt like I could talk privately--there was always someone listening in.

To this day, I do not enjoy talking on the phone. I don't know if it is related to that or not, but I feel like I also have a hard time expressing myself orally. I do much better in writing. Not sure why, since in the Little Dorm, they also read all of our letters before they went out.

And then, as grown-ups, finding something out in a prayer letter . . .going both ways, one time Mom came back and said, you have a different job, a different car, have moved, all since the last time I saw you. I remember thinking, "hmm, didn't think those things were important to you . . ."

I'm a former MAF MK from the Venezuela field. Mom resisted the pressure to send us to the NTM boarding school and used a combination of homeschool and Venezuelan school. Now, as an adult, I'm the head of my church's mission committee. We support several NTM missionaries.

I stumbled across the "historic abuse investigation" information on NTM's website and found you-all through Google. I feel such grief as I read your stories (although not surprise, really). At the same time, I rejoice to read your accounts of God's grace and love.

Do you have any suggestions for the supporting church, in terms of how we might interact with NTM within the context of this situation? I feel as if I should be doing something with this information, but am not sure what that something should be.

Thanks.

Off the top of my head:

Assist your missionaries in transitioning into another agency.

A much bigger task than one sentence can convey.

I think that any supporting church is entitled to, and should ask ANY questions of concern - whether they address past/current/future safety measures for MK's, better accountability for missionaries in isolated areas, the need for licensed clinical psychologists to routinely visit each field and offer their services to any missionary or MK who needs it, NTM's detailed plan of action regarding this website's concerns/members/goals, the investigations, & all of the broken MK's out here . .. Yes, this is "new" leadership - but it's still NTM - baggage & all were passed on with the change of names/faces in Sanford. It is their responsibility to take the steps necessary to rectify the gross injustices, the faulty teachings, & the blatant mishandlings of so many abuses.

And I wish churches would pass the concern on to other churches, supporting or not. For us to make it known is very hard - without seeming like "embittered, vengeful, whiny, unforgiving, money-grubbing, hateful MK's." I wish the church (local & universal) would step up and offer support and require accountability. We are, after all, brothers & sisters in Christ - some of us broken, some in denial, some trying to save face, some playing it safe, some furious, some evading the issue, some scorning, some grieving - but all human, & all appreciative of a supportive act, an encouraging word, & all desiring peace in our minds and healing in our hearts.

We were encouraged by our sending church to change orgs and we did.
It was a hard, long process.
But the right thing to do!
Churches could put alot of pressure on NTM.......if they knew about all this.
Has your missions committee read the GRACE Report, PAGirl?

Update from Pat:


The Independent Historical Abuse Review Team (IHART) has named its first investigative team. Its task will be to investigate historic reports of child abuse at NTM’s school at Vianopolis, Brazil. The team had its first meeting May 13, 2011. It will meet again the week of May 23 and will begin contacting survivors the week of June 1.
The team members are:
• Randy Coffman – Investigations captain, Andover Police Department, Andover, Kansas. She is also a nurse and paramedic. As a forensic nurse she has been a sexual assault nurse examiner for 15 years. Randy has said that nursing led her to become a paramedic, which led to law enforcement, and it was when she was investigating mostly sexual abuse and child sexual abuse cases that she felt she had found her “calling.” As an investigator one of her main concerns is to determine the truth of what happened.
• Jim Richter – Global security director for Team Expansion (an international missionary agency), Louisville, Kentucky. He is a former policeman. As security director he directs and handles all investigatory matters, including adult and child sexual abuse cases, for the agency worldwide. Jim has experience in training investigators and investigating current and historical sexual abuse cases.
• Robert Davis – Safety and security person for the Kroc Salvation Army Community Center, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. He is a 35-year veteran with the FBI and has extensive experience as forensic child interviewer and a master investigator. Robert supervised FBI operations in all of North Idaho. He worked cases on the Indian reservations which included child abuse cases.
• Richard Ramirez – - Director of corporate security, SEND International, Farmington, Michigan. He is a retired US Postal Inspector with extensive investigative and supervisory experience in abuse and child pornography investigations. During his 32-year law enforcement career he has served with the FBI and as a police detective. Rich also has experience training investigators and investigating child abuse cases, current and historical, for sending mission agencies.
Richard Ramirez is the lead investigator. If you have inquiries or information for the investigative team, contact Mr. Ramirez at rramirez@send.org or 248-477-4210, extension 111.
Questions or comments about the independent investigations should be sent to Pat Hendrix at pat.mkguardian@gmail.com

Puerto girl, glad you're here! I think having the missions committee read the Grace report is a good start . . .along with a sampling of this site, such as how prevalent the sexual abuse is . . .not that we know figures, but we can say, on these fields it has been noted . . .it's a sticky situation. Good luck. Use the PM if you'd like . . .