The Global Conversation

It's so important for this issue to remain in the collective conversation. The Mamou Alliance Academy was not the only boarding school where abuse happened, but it was the first to have the results of its investigation to go public. To watch excerpts and to learn more about the documentary "All God's Children" please visit: http://www.allgodschildrenthefilm.com "All God's Children" tells the story of the children of Mamou - what they experienced at the school and in the aftermath as they tried to find support, help each other and prevent this from happening to others. - Scott Solary (producer, co-director "All God's Children")

Clough Memorial John,It is amazing how God uses the various childhood experiences of different people to get into His ministry to glorify Him and to be a blessing to others in need of which your' is an example.So is mine.I am an orphan,don't know my parent,brought up by missionaries who made my life comfortable though was in boarding home.I praise God for all those missionaries who were instruments in my life.This helped me to go into children ministry to care for the needy kids in a way our Lord wants us to bring them up.I glorify our Lord for our experiences.My last name indicates how I am named in memory of the hospital where I was brought up.

My heart was broken as I read this article. I am a retired missionary who worked in a European country doing church planting. My original call was to teach missionaries' children and I even had worked out a plan so that the children could get an education and still stay with their parents!!! God seemed to have had another plan, but how I wish I could've been there for that little boy!!! In my childhood I also suffered from abuse. I call my school the ____ Concentration Camp for Children. Those teachers were not missionaries, but how can people who say they love and serve God, stoop to such cruelty to small and helpless children! They remind me of the Nazi death camps of WWll. God does change the suffering into good through the work of Compassion.

Hello Mr.Stafford. I did not know you went through so much. This is so sad for you and the other children. What happened to your Mom? Did she ever recover?

I could not stop reading. It touched my heart. I'm so amazed how God works in a little boys life and ending up using this same little boy later on in his life for other little children. Beautiful and moving story. I really don't know how I got here but I'm glad I did.

The first time I heard this story, was on Focus on the Family when Dr.Stafford was a guest there. As a victor of abuse, for a long time I didn't know what the purpose was to the pain I endured for years. I use to volunteer at a sexual assualt centre, but quickly found out that it wasn't my ministry. When I heard Dr. Stafford, I knew the voice of God was speaking to me through this man's story. I prayed for months and finally heard HIS voice calling me to HIS ministry of serving children whom the Enemy has stolen the hope from. May God bless every man, woman and child who speak out against all forms of abuse inflicted on any child. Thank you FATHER, for the courage you give people to come out of the darkness and share their story to give other hope of freedom in YOU...

Seems these "missionaries" needed to read what Jesus said about those who would harm the children should have a millstone around their necks. When I was in college I knew a number of missionary kids. My denomination insisted missionary children be taught at home until their teens or almost teens, even though it would limit the ministry of at least one parent. Then they would go on to a boarding school. I always saw it as recognizing children's emotional needs for their parents, but now I see it was also for the children's protection. When these people got kids at 6, they could bully and abuse them. Teenagers who have been with loving parents are not going to meekly put up with it, they will resist and/or tell. I noticed it was not until this boy had been away from this for a year with his parents on furlough that he told his mother.

Your life story was heart-wrenching. I'm always perplexed and appalled when adults treat children with less worth than they regard their selves. They were all children at one time, and they should know how it feels to be so intimidated by cruel hateful punishment. Where is the love of God in that. The children will then always remember the hurt but forget what it was suppose to teach. I believe they take out their own sadness and frustration on the helpless, who can't fight back. The other side of that is the rewards for those who love and promote good in the little ones. The blessings are continual, and new, and forever will amaze. God's rewards are eternal.

What a moving article! I am a POM and I pray for MK's and their parents. My daughter and son-in-law believe dorm parents should be called of God because it is a very important job. Their mission encourages parents who don't want their high school kids in the dorm, to come out of the tribe temporialy and serve in another capacity during this time. Tribal MK's need to be in a group high school setting to prepare (acclimate) them for college in their passport country. Parenting comes before "the Lord's work" and every parent needs to constantly be told that or don't be a missionary until your kids are grown or don't have kids at all. Background checks may not be reliable but teaching kids to tell the truth and that whatever they tell their parents will be believed is the foundation to protecting our kids.

Wess Stafford is an amazing person and I have stood alongside him at Compassion events in Uganda and I know he has a big heart and a passion for children. One side of his story is the abuse but please focus on how God has redeemed it for His purpose.