(Laura Larson, June 16, 2009)  A new film, All God's Children, tells the true story of missionary kids that were required to attend a Christian and Missionary Alliance (C&MA) boarding school in Mamou, Guinea, while their parents worked as missionaries in West Africa. 

 

Hundreds of miles from their parents and without any means of communication, the children suffered abuse at the hands of the school's all-missionary staff.   House parents sexually abused young girls and boys. Screaming teachers threw over desks and beat children until they were bloody. Older students bullied and abused younger students, some as young as six years of age.

 

After returning to their parents, most of the children said little about their experiences.  Many years later, however, they brought the abuses out into the open and pressured C&MA to conduct an investigation.  C&MA resisted, but eventually investigated and confirmed many of the allegations of abuse.  Some, though not all, of the Mamou school workers were eventually disciplined.

 

As a film, All God's Children benefits from compelling storytelling and a lack of heavy-handed editing and commentary. There is no agenda here -- the stories speak for themselves and there is no effort by the filmmakers to diminish or "bash" Christianity.

 

The film's subtle approach makes the stories all the more effective, and all the more difficult to dismiss or explain away: How could men and women that supposedly love and serve God inflict such pain and abuse on children? There are no easy answers to this question, and All God's Children does not purport to provide any.

 

The abuse victims do explain how they came to terms with what occurred, and how it has impacted their lives.  For example, one abuse victim expresses doubts that he could ever be a Christian after such abuse, remarking that God would have to send an angel to him like he did to the Apostle Paul.

 

Another abuse victim now works as a church minister, believing he is called to promote "true religion" to combat "false religion" -- apparently the "evangelical" or "fundamentalist" Christianity that hurt him at Mamou.

 

Other former students simply express frustration with C&MA for failing to prevent and later acknowledge the abuse, and frustration with their missionary parents for leaving them alone and vulnerable in Mamou.

 

In the end, how one interprets this film will probably depend on one's preconceived notions about God and the church. While the stories in the film have an immediate impact, a little time is needed for one to make sense (or at least try to make sense) of the tragedy depicted in the film.

 

As for me: I can only be grateful that I did not experience such pain during my time as a missionary kid. I can only pray for those that have been abused, and try to help them as best I can. And I can stay vigilant -- and close -- to my own young children, recognizing that pain and abuse can sometimes come from the people you least suspect.

 

Some of the Mamou missionary kids, along with their parents, have set up a website for missionary kids that have been abused: MK Safety Net.  For these and other resources, as well as more information about the film All God's Children, visit http://www.allgodschildrenthefilm.com.

 

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The International Faith Telegraph
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