MK forum

Who in this day and age would make a list of Worst Practice
about themselves?

What happened to prevent any changes after such a candid evaluation?
It is uncanny!
We will probably never know.
Yes, they had a chance.

"This is heartbreaking for me, because now, in 2016, I am being reminded of how my spirit responded to the contents of this letter. 19 years ago, when I was still a member of New Tribes Mission.

Heartbreaking. The potential was there. The opportunity was given.

All for naught."

Yes, us too.

Back in 1997, David Calderwood, Bryan Coupland, Macon Hare, Oli Jacobsen, Les Pederson, Chet Plimpton and Duane Stous had the courage, humility and integrity to write, "we take responsibility for this problem", "we have been wrong" and "we ask you to forgive us for how we have hurt you".

Why was NTM leadership able to do this in 1997, and yet in the present, they are unwilling to make the same admissions and apologies to the MKs who bear lifelong scars from their childhood in the mission?

Somewhere along the way, decisions were made which now prevent this kind of vulnerability.

If there are any current NTM members reading this, please ask yourself what happened. When and why did your mission leaders refuse to take the path of courage, humility and integrity in their response to child abuse?

To quote from the movie Spotlight (which is a must-see for all who are concerned about the issue of child abuse in NTM): "Listen ... you want to be on the right side of this."

Yes. Yes, you do.

It was near 1997 that I wrote to Sanford and suggested they pay my parents the money owed for the house that had been confiscated. New Zealanders dismissed from PNG had their houses and possesions confiscated, this did not happen to American Tribers. I gave them an unltimatum, that they act quickly or I would go public with what was going on in NTM.
Dean Van Vliet wrote back to my parents, with threats, but they did get a payout. My parents were livid with me for doing what I did, but of course they accepted the money, which enabled them to buy a house. In my recent conversation with my mother, she denied any knowledge of this, she said "the Lord provided the money for their house". I think again she was lying or had been programmed to "forget".
In 1997 I was aware of only a small amount of child sex abuse in PNG, however in hindsight I wonder if those who read my letter to Sanford thought what I was going to expose was relating to this and not the ill treatment that Kiwi missionaries were receiving, as I didn't specify what I would expose if they didn't settle the matter of theft.

Very interesting .... so many things we will never know for sure ...