Listen to MKs, part 4

This interview of one MK by another MK is a really helpful and informative look at the experience of an MK who suffered abuse as well as that of a panel participant who saw an Ethnos360/New Tribes Mission investigation behind the scenes. Since it contains so much information and is a challenge to summarize, I encourage you to take the time to watch the interview and listen to these MKs.

The first part of the interview details this MK's experience as a child of the organization, enduring physical abuse and hearing beatings of other children, the reality that any adult could physically discipline any child, the frequent physical harm over misunderstandings with little to no explanation what the discipline was for, his innate understanding that he was not safe with adults.

He then describes working with the organization as an adult, how even though the people in leadership had changed, the behaviors and culture remained the same. They describe what it was like to feel trapped on a compound, being constantly monitored.

The next part of the interview explains his experiences when he was called to participate in an investigation into child abuse. He shares how when the GRACE report came out, he thought, "Finally someone is being honest about all the crap we put up with as kids." They discuss the realization that it wasn't just at their school. Abuse and harm happened in other Ethnos360/New Tribes Mission locations as well. He tells how he was asked to sit on a panel for another school's investigation, to learn what happened there and make recommendations for how the organization should respond.

He gives some background about how he was an MK at the Missouri training center after his time overseas. He explains there were two counselors there at the time, one with educational qualifications and one without, and how many children who had been abused would come to the training center for counseling. His experience seeing all of these MKs who had suffered harm come and go gave him an early understanding of the scope of abuse within the organization.

He continues to describe his time on the panel. He talks about the 190+-page report the panel reviewed (that was released publicly as a 4-page summary). He discusses his attempt to get further information to make informed recommendations and how New Tribes Mission/Ethnos360 leadership lied about having such information. He depicts repeatedly asking if the leaders, including Brian Coombs and Brian Shortmeier, would follow the panel's recommendations and being assured they would. Then he talks about leadership's surreptitious attempts to control the panel's recommendations. He shares how after the meeting where the panel gave their recommendations, Brian Shortmeier told him they weren't going to implement any of them and would have to talk about how they would respond, which was in direct opposition to what the panel was told when they gave up their time to participate. He shares how he felt the leadership was being deceptive and playing a game with them rather than engaging in good faith.

He describes his realization that the leadership of the organization knew about abuse all along the way and did nothing, including their attorney, Scott Ross, who he says (as laid out in the report) told an abuser if the abuse had happened in the United States, he would be in jail. He describes the reality that there hadn't been any confusion about the severity of the abuse that was taking place on the leadership's part. They talk about learning that abuse was happening, both in the United States and overseas, that was not dealt with and how even secular organizations do more in response to abuse.

He recounts discussions with the two counselors that had worked in Missouri, and how one had burned all the files from their work there. He then relates a conversation he had with the other counselor, where he was told that when the therapist informed leadership about the abuse and the members who had covered it up and were therefore complicit, the organization's leadership shut down the counseling department. They describe how this eliminated both the evidence and the people attempting to hold Ethnos360/New Tribes Mission accountable.

Then they go on to discuss Theresa Sidebotham, the investigations in general, and the list Ethnos360 put out. I plan to post more about their discussion of those topics later.

Again, if you care about the truth, what it's like to be an MK in Ethnos360/New Tribes Mission as well as the integrity of the investigations, please take some time to listen to this interview. It is both informative and eye-opening.