This week, the NTM USA Executive Board completed several of the recommendations in GRACE’s report on abuse at Fanda school in Senegal.

The recommendations that have been completed pertain to 14 of the people named in the report. Seven of those people served in leadership roles in NTM, and the actions were taken because they failed to protect children.

NTM intends to take action against other personnel as well. GRACE is revisiting its other personnel recommendations and we expect to hear from them shortly.

Taking action against these personnel in no way absolves New Tribes Mission of responsibility. NTM as an organization failed to protect the children at Fanda, and takes responsibility for these inexcusable failures.

We’re thankful to those former Fanda students who were persistent in their efforts to encourage us to seek an outside review of the abuse.

Our chairman and director of operations are focused full-time on implementing further recommendations, as are several other NTM members. Our current focus is on recommendations that can be completed quickly. We are striving to keep moving forward, and appreciate the patience that many — including former students — have shown in awaiting these actions this week.

We also need to correct an error in previous public statements. These have referred to abuse that took place at Fanda in the 1980s, but the report includes abuse that took place in the 1990s as well. We apologize for the error.

“At the request of NTM and with the consent of the former students of the NTM school for missionary children in Senegal, GRACE conducted a review of the situation at the school in the 1980s. They presented their report to NTM and the former students on Monday.

Individuals in our organization abused children. People in leadership at the time were culpable through inadequate screening and training, creating an atmosphere of legalism and autocracy, and not addressing the abuse properly. This means that we as an organization are responsible and have sinned against these students.

True repentance, as the GRACE report points out, will be seen in our actions, and we pledge to act. Our current leaders are reviewing the recommendations in the report, and will meet with GRACE this week so we can fully understand them and move forward in the right way.”

Spring class of 2010

My folks have been living with us since their house burned on January 2.  They hope to move into their new house the end of June!  Dan is working for the MTC construction crew, Melissa is working several days a week at a hospital in Branson, Jen is baby sitting for a family on campus, and Kathy is working at the College of the Ozarks Keeter Center restaurant.  All of them are home at various times, especially weekends.  Somehow Fonda and Mom are staying ahead of all the activity.

I’m focusing on Greek 1, prepping for teaching Galatians this fall at NTBI Jackson and I’m working with our Course Oversight Team on our Christian Life classes.  I also get in some  grounds work and gardening. It is a full summer and we are enjoying every minute of it!  Pray that we’ll learn what God has to teach us!

Did religionists really believe in a flat Earth before the advent of the scientific age?  Not since Aristotle presented evidence for a spherical Earth in 330 BC, observing that southbound travellers see southern stars rising higher above the horizon.  He also pointed out that the shadow of Earth on the Moon is always circular, and that only a spherical Earth could cast a circular shadow at all lunar phases.  In 240 BC, Eratosthenes even calculated the Earth’s spherical circumference.  In his treatise The reckoning of time,the venerable Bede (c.672-735) explained the varying duration of daylight in terms of “the roundness of the Earth,” and continues, “for not without reason is it called the orb of the world on the pages of Holy Scripture an of ordinary literature.  it is, in fact set like a sphere in the middle of the whole universe.”  Any anything Bede wrote was required reading for the priests of his day.

It is true that medieval scholars allegedly reverted to flat Earth beliefs, but Jeffrey Russell (professor of history at University of California, Santa Barbara) argues in his book Inventing the flat Earth: Columbus and modern historians,that the flat-Earth theory is little more than a fable used to denigrate pre-modern European civilization.

Geocentricity is a different matter.  As the quote from Bede indicates, Dr. Stenger is correct to say that the ancients believed in an Earth-centered universe.  But here’s the fact that fells his house of cards – this geocentric system was the produce not of religious faith, but of Greek science!… Plato… believed that the Earth was a sphere, stationary at the centre of the universe and orbited by the starts and planets.  Greek astronomy eventually settled for the geocentric Ptolemaic system  – proposed by Claudius Ptolemaeus during the second century AD and accepted by all until the “Copernican revolution” in the sixteenth century, when geocentricity was finally put to rest.  But then the headline: “Sixteenth-century science disproves second-century science!” doesn’t read as well as: “Sixteenth-century science disproves religious belief!”

Check out Edgar Andrews’ book at www.whomadeGod.com

I had the opportunity to present a challenge to our student body on our theme “Be the Voice.”  It is always a thrill to speak to a group of fired up, sold out believers like this.  I’d like to say it keeps me young, but those of you who know me, know better.

We have around 145 students, and three classes running concurrently… first, second and third semester.  Next semester we will also have our linguistics classes up and running.

Please pray that all of us will stay focused on the Lord and what He desires to do in our midst.

Last week we were camping with our students, teaching compass, topographical maps & GPS use.  This weekend, Dan & Melissa and Kathy are home, so we have had a blast hanging out, enjoying meals together with Poppy & Grandma (Don & Janet) Kline.

Dad, Dan and I hiked around on Dad’s property & planted some pine trees on Saturday.

Regarding our ministry, Fonda has been organizing the coffee breaks for the 4th semester students this semester, working in the library & working together with me in discipleship.I’ve had quite a few teaching opportunities with our Construction/Maintenance Team,

a men’s prayer breakfast (Dad is on the right) and a message for our Graduation.