MK forum

No more letters from Brian Shortmeier.

No more nice words like, "What happened to you wasn’t right, is unconscionable and is indefensible."

In March, 2012, Brian wrote:

"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."

Instead of "this failure to communicate well must end", in reality it quickly turned into "this communication must end".

All general letters or updates to those of us who wished to receive them dried up within a few months.

This refusal to communicate is, in my opinion, also not right, unconscionable, and indefensible.

Very much so!

PNG, Mexico, Venezuela?
No investigations?

Larry, stop what you're doing, gather the mission, including retired missionaries, and get the facts...as to all fields. Do this tomorrow. Joshua did this with 2.5 million people to find Achan.

My wanderings took me back to the NTM website today.

https://usa.ntm.org/about/historical-reviews

There I read this paragraph again:

"Our original goals for this process have not changed. These are: to be certain that there is no current member of New Tribes Mission USA who has abused children; to give victims an avenue to tell their story; to offer a means for counseling for any victims who desire that; and to learn from the past to make our organization as safe as possible for all children."

First goal listed: To be certain that there is no current member of New Tribes Mission USA who has abused children.

In December, 2013, I wrote an e-mail to Larry Brown, Chairman of NTM-USA. I listed five people who have been specifically named here on Fanda Eagles as having abused children sexually, physically and emotionally. All five of those were still listed as members on the NTM website. That was in 2013.

It is now late 2015. All five of these child abusers are still listed on the NTM website as members of NTM-USA. Four have retired status, another is apparently still in active service.

"Our original goals for this process have not changed. These are: to be certain that there is no current member of New Tribes Mission USA who has abused children..."

I'm calling you out, New Tribes Mission. You are failing dismally in your first stated goal under Child Protection, Historical Reviews!

These FIVE members of your mission have been known to you as child abusers for more than two years, and you have allowed them to remain in your midst!

Without a doubt, there are other current members who have been named as child abusers by MKs who participated in your farcical "investigations". At least some of these names will have been made known to you, the Executive Board, when you read the abuse reports on East Brazil and Panama. And if you haven't seen names from Bolivia yet, you know in your gut you are going to see familiar names and know people who abused children at the NTM MK school in Tambo.

To the many silent readers of Fanda Eagles: I believe it is important to point out, with absolute clarity, that New Tribes Mission - USA is not serious about the goals they claim to embrace. They have done nothing to remove these five known child abusers from their membership roll. I can also predict they will have the same shoulder-shrug response to the naming of scores of others who would fit the definitions of child abuse as defined in their own Child Protection Manual.

This is absolutely disgraceful and appalling.

What is it going to take???

As I've said in various other threads, they really don't care about this issue any more. The feel like they've done their "bit", and have moved on. But we aren't going to give up.

Okay. Let's put to rest, once and for all, this notion that it would somehow be wrong or illegal for NTM to publicize names of their missionaries who have abused children.

Take a close look at the information on this website; a notification from the Catholic Archdiocese of Seattle. Click on the various PDFs, to read the letter of apology, the EXTENSIVE list of sexual abusers, and the frequently asked questions.

This is how it can - and should! - be done!

http://www.seattlearchdiocese.org/SEP/Community.aspx

The protection of pedophiles and child abusers in NTM has long been an issue with me. When a missionary has been found to have abused, molested or raped minors in the mission environment, I contend it is IMPERATIVE that others who may have come in contact with that offender be notified! How can NTM be sure their missionary did not hurt children in their home church, supporting churches, homes of supporters, mission training centers, etc.?

The motivation for the secrecy is ultimately to protect the mission, its reputation, and its income. No thought is given to the possibility/probability that there are other victims out there who are suffering in silence! Victims who think no one else understands, no one else ever experienced what they did at the hands of this person.

Thank you, Archdiocese of Seattle, for your transparency and humility. You truly are showing us a better way.

But Raz don't you know that sex offenders change their spots when they leave NTM, so no need to talk about it to anyone. You know, zipperty do da and a bit of fairy dust and what's all the fuss about cuz Uncle is a changed man.

Hogwash, bullshit! They'll be at it back in the good Ole United States, just like they was where ever they were!

Wake up folks, Uncle might be getting old but his perverted ways might be coming to a church near you!

If he can't keep in his you know what in his pants in the tropics, he sure as hell ain't going to keep it in his pants at home.

Sorry if I've offended anyone by being blunt, but we are adults here trying to save children from these wolves in sheeps clothing, so lets not be to sensitive about some blunt language, ay!

Yes, so very true. I was thinking about the past history of the offender, but you are right about their future activities as well. Child abusers will continue to abuse. Everyone should be warned.