Jump to content
IGNORED

Another charge of abuse by Christian adoptive parents in Kansas


older than allosaurs

Recommended Posts

So this story took a sickening turn for me.  I shared the link on FB, a subtle dig at a family who I suspect has/is doing the same to their two adoptive kids but have passed all the DCF investigations.  A young girl who is pretty special to my husband and I commented on it.  These assholes live next door to a college.  Granted it is a small college but still they were doing this in with a bunch of college kids next door.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 94
  • Created
  • Last Reply

For the dear Eternal, won't anyone think about the kids!

From where I come from, restricting kids from nice yummy veggies, and fruit, and nice grains, plus some milk (cow, goat, soy, almond, rice, whatever) is completely unholy! CHILDREN MUST BE FED, with all kinds of good stuff. BECAUSE THEY ARE GROWING, for the love of the Dear Heaven.

Had responsibility for an Interfaith conference for some years.  When a pre-teenager asks "oh, WILL you have broccoli next year? I so LOVE broccoli!"---you WILL move heaven and earth to make SURE there is Broccoli, because a child cries for it, and never mind the cost.

Even if severe allergies, you can at least do Veggie/Soy/Nutmeat milks. 

I am wanting soooo to send over nice crunchy veg, with hummus, and LOTS of berries and bananas and oranges.

Dear Eternal: from what I saw in the news releases, those kids are STARVED. FEED THEM!

May they end up in the hands of loving foster parents who will FEED THEM, as the nutritionists see fit....for starving children....

*desperately wanting to make up all kinds of heavy veggie stuff, with lots of proteins, and BIG bowls of fruit--all kinds!*

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

53 minutes ago, grandmadugger said:

So this story took a sickening turn for me.  I shared the link on FB, a subtle dig at a family who I suspect has/is doing the same to their two adoptive kids but have passed all the DCF investigations.

I think if this story has a practical moral, it is to call the police as well as Children's Services.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 minutes ago, older than allosaurs said:

I think if this story has a practical moral, it is to call the police as well as Children's Services.

Yes!  The police have been called as well with the family I spoke of.  They are like the rest of us, their gut tells them something isn't right but there's no proof.  The kids won't squeal and there are no visible signs of abuse.  The more I read here and the more dots I connect I'm sure there's something going on.  I know the police have to have probable cause but it still irks me. 

ETA: I really wish the two daughters who got out of the house would squeal on the parents.  They have nothing to do with the girls.  It makes me sick, those kids are sweet kids.  They did the two girls shitty.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 hours ago, refugee said:

I guess they got the truth they were praying for. The news story also said that several of the walkers were weeping at what came out in the press conference. I hope they're horrified, and rethinking their own fundy ways, 

At this stage they are probably still crying "persecution".  :my_confused::my_arrow:

This weekend their home church is holding its Missions Weekend.  I hope this story will cause people to look more closely and ask hard questions before supporting any of the other mission families.  http://www.gcc-online.org/upcoming-events/2016/2/21/the-mission-gods-plan-gods-power

Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 hours ago, FloraDoraDolly said:

I think the "if you don't work, you don't eat" verse needs to be taken in context. At that time, the Christian movement was new, largely poor, nomadic, and facing persecution. They literally couldn't afford to feed grifters, lazybums, wannabees and hangers-on who refused to help with the work these Christians were attempting to do under extraordinary circumstances. I don't believe these verses are referring to truly needy people, definitely not to children. I see it as more akin to people like Jill and Derick Dillard bumming money off well-meaning fans so they can travel to Central America, where they are sapping community resources and not doing much of anything for the folks who live there.

That's my understanding as well--that it's directed towards those who are able to work but don't(rather than those who truly can't).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

      I feel bad for the supporters in a way. The story is so shocking and out there it must be hard to believe someone capable of doing that. Imagine somebody you admire and respect, and look up to doing that. I imagine they feel betrayed, and stupid, and guilty for not noticing, or ignoring any red flags. I have to believe, for my own sanity, that  only a tiny fraction, if any,of people will still be supporting them a month from now. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's got to be a shock. I was pretty stunned at the Bill Cosby stuff and wondered if it was true at first. When you look up to someone, or at least see them as a good example, it's hard to believe bad things. Those that continue to deny after evidence is shown are the ones to criticize. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

3 hours ago, Grimalkin said:

      I feel bad for the supporters in a way. The story is so shocking and out there it must be hard to believe someone capable of doing that. Imagine somebody you admire and respect, and look up to doing that. I imagine they feel betrayed, and stupid, and guilty for not noticing, or ignoring any red flags. I have to believe, for my own sanity, that  only a tiny fraction, if any,of people will still be supporting them a month from now. 

I hope you are right and I do see you are being compassionate, but personally I don't feel at all sorry for the supporters, especially not those who turned out to protest/prayer walk against the charges brought against the Nachtigals. For some reason they saw fit to create a media circus around themselves in advance of knowing the facts. and it ended up reflecting badly on them. Bless their hearts.

As to the more distant supporters, I hope the shock will cause them to examine missionary situations more carefully in future.  

The Nachnegal blog was a horror story waiting to happen.  The adoptive children hardly featured once the "journey" to "rescue" them was over.  

The blog and the you tube videos show a couple who are darting from one mission to the next, using emotional manipulation to draw in funds.  First they decide to join up with one mission, then without explanation, God calls them to a different one.   Then they need money for another mission that has had the utilities cut off because they have failed to pay the bills.  Even without the child abuse, they come across as a prideful hot mess.  And how anyone signed up to fund them without noticing the increasing absence and failure to thrive of their own dependent children is just incredible.

 

And it seems the abusive parents have a stash of previous neglect allegations behind them.  I find it hard to believe that the news of ANY of that didn't get shared around for "prayer purposes". 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

21 hours ago, hoipolloi said:

ETA: found this post on the case with a link to the adoption timeline for the now-11-year-old children. Looks like the adoption agency was Villa Hope.

Not sure if the timing of this is a coincidence or not.

Quote

On February 16, 2016, the Council on Accreditation temporarily suspended the accreditation of Villa Hope for failing to maintain substantial compliance with the Hague accreditation standards. This agency operates in China, El Salvador and Peru.  During this suspension, Villa Hope must cease to provide all adoption services in connection with cases covered under the Hague Convention, other than any required corrective action. Additionally, Villa Hope must cease to provide adoption services in all non-Convention cases, other than any required corrective action, or cases subject to the grandfathering provisions of the Universal Accreditation Act.

...

The suspension shall remain in force for a period of not less than two weeks (10 business days) from the effective date of the adverse action or until such later date as the corrective action below has been implemented to the satisfaction of COA in its sole discretion.

http://travel.state.gov/content/adoptionsabroad/en/about-us/newsroom/temporary_suspensio_of_villa_hope.html

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@dianapavelovna thanks for the link.  In one of the media reports it was noted that Peru has a 4 year post adoption reporting requirement and that third parties should have filed reports.  The failure to follow up on medical conditions would be damning for all concerned.  Maybe that is why God was calling them to leave the country at breakneck speed...

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

57 minutes ago, blessalessi said:

The blog and the you tube videos show a couple who are darting from one mission to the next, using emotional manipulation to draw in funds.  First they decide to join up with one mission, then without explanation, God calls them to a different one.   Then they need money for another mission that has had the utilities cut off because they have failed to pay the bills.  Even without the child abuse, they come across as a prideful hot mess.  And how anyone signed up to fund them without noticing the increasing absence and failure to thrive of their own dependent children is just incredible.
 

Here's Paige in November 2015:

Quote

it's been a long time since i've typed words into this box.

honestly, some days i really struggle. not unfamiliar words for an adoptive momma to utter. but true words.

yet in the midst of difficulty there is an unexplainable joy.

not because of who i am, or because of what i have done. rather because of who HE is.

i've learned a secret. maybe you know it too.

joy does not equal happiness.

joy is the outcome of overcoming incredible difficulty while praising the One who loves my soul.

my joy is defiant.

joy has been my "word" for 2015. i may keep it for 2016 too.

regardless of the load that has been placed before me to bear, i will lift it up as a praise offering.

I know it's stiff competition among the people we snark on, but this level of self-pitying narcissism really is breathtaking. How dare those children force her to have them beaten till their bones crack? Isn't it lucky she can lift it up in praise?

This story is haunting me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It is heartbreaking, isn't it?  

Here is an older interview with Paige. https://stillwewait.wordpress.com/2013/01/21/peru-country-profile/

The progression from foster parent to wannabee orphan missionary reminds me of the Bergey family at Perspectives inparenting.com.  Once the glamour of rescuing the orphans is over, and the hard work of parenting real live children sets in, they seem to feel a compulsion to move on to bigger things...  

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It is heartbreaking, isn't it?  

Here is an older interview with Paige. https://stillwewait.wordpress.com/2013/01/21/peru-country-profile/

The progression from foster parent to wannabee orphan missionary reminds me of the Bergey family at Perspectivesinparenting.com who put their adopted teen in a mental health facility while they went on a mission tour of  some South African townships with their birth children. 

Once the glamour of rescuing the orphans is over, and the hard work of parenting real live children sets in, they seem to feel a compulsion to move on to bigger things...  There seems to be a lot of secondary gain from the fundraising and planning stages of the adoption. The parents get such a lot of adult attention and praise, and some of them can't switch back into a role where they need to be giving attention and not always getting it.  

It is frightening that the Nachtigals were only a few months away from being funded to run away from their responsibilities and cause goodness knows how much harm in Peru.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Koala said:

I wouldn't be surprised if some of their supporters knew/suspected and just didn't care.  

At least it does seem to be a call to the police in the aftermath of the little boy running away, that led to the eventual investigation. Someone cared enough to try and get something done.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I haven't read the posts (and don't know yet if I will), because this happened in my hometown.  It's a very small, tight-knit, conservative in terms of lifestyle (not necessarily politically), very religious with one denomination as the vast majority, but NOT in any way extreme or fundamentalist (think your typical mostly-Catholic town of normal people, for example).

This is so incredibly shocking and everyone is having a very hard time wrapping their brains around it.  As soon as I saw the news reports I knew exactly where the house was by the surroundings shown in the video. The church shown in the video is my sister's church, but must have been a speaking engagement because this family doesn't attend there.

I don't even really know why I'm saying all this, maybe just to let folks know that this is NOT a representation of the Kansas I know and love, nor the town I grew up in that was a community of kind, nurturing, wonderful people.  I have always been so thankful that I was raised there.

Going to go try to read the replies now.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On ‎2‎/‎21‎/‎2016 at 10:12 PM, grandmadugger said:

So this story took a sickening turn for me.  I shared the link on FB, a subtle dig at a family who I suspect has/is doing the same to their two adoptive kids but have passed all the DCF investigations.  A young girl who is pretty special to my husband and I commented on it.  These assholes live next door to a college.  Granted it is a small college but still they were doing this in with a bunch of college kids next door.

Yes, they are within a mile of the college.  It's a small religious liberal arts college, very well known for it's theology department, among other things.  This is part of what is so earthshattering about this.  Please please please don't anyone think that this is what the college or community teaches.  Please.  I hesitate to give more details because internet but please trust me when I say that this is NOT a community where this is even remotely ok.  I know many people from their home church and they are just as stunned and revolted as everyone else.  In 44 years of this being my hometown, I only know of one other situation even similar.  I'm sure there have been plenty of child abuse cases and whatnot in the larger adjacent town, but nothing of this caliber.

I can't believe I'm actually personally associated with a topic on FJ.  Wow.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On ‎2‎/‎21‎/‎2016 at 2:14 PM, blessalessi said:

 

I hope you are right and I do see you are being compassionate, but personally I don't feel at all sorry for the supporters, especially not those who turned out to protest/prayer walk against the charges brought against the Nachtigals. For some reason they saw fit to create a media circus around themselves in advance of knowing the facts. and it ended up reflecting badly on them. Bless their hearts.

As to the more distant supporters, I hope the shock will cause them to examine missionary situations more carefully in future.  

The Nachnegal blog was a horror story waiting to happen.  The adoptive children hardly featured once the "journey" to "rescue" them was over.  

The blog and the you tube videos show a couple who are darting from one mission to the next, using emotional manipulation to draw in funds.  First they decide to join up with one mission, then without explanation, God calls them to a different one.   Then they need money for another mission that has had the utilities cut off because they have failed to pay the bills.  Even without the child abuse, they come across as a prideful hot mess.  And how anyone signed up to fund them without noticing the increasing absence and failure to thrive of their own dependent children is just incredible.

 

And it seems the abusive parents have a stash of previous neglect allegations behind them.  I find it hard to believe that the news of ANY of that didn't get shared around for "prayer purposes". 

With all due respect, I know these people and this community, and want to point something out.

Quote

That reputation, and the felony charges that appeared Tuesday, led to a prayer walk around the Harvey County Courthouse and Law Enforcement Center Wednesday morning — about 30 minutes prior to a press briefing inside by the Harvey County Sheriff's office.

“God calls us to walk in truth and that is what I am doing,” said Trenna Davenport, one of the walk's organizers. “I just believe in God and that he sent Jesus to testify to the truth, and I am praying for the truth.”

About a dozen people participated. They also attended a press conference at the courthouse about 30 minutes after the vigil began. Following the press conference, some walkers were in tears, based on what they heard.

Knowing the community, It does not surprise me at all that there was a prayer walk prior to/during the hearing.  They were not demonstrating against the arrest, they were uniting in prayer that the truth would be told, whatever that truth turned out to be.  No doubt they were also reeling in shock since the report of the arrests, as anyone would be.  The article goes on to say that they were in tears following the press conference, No doubt they were heartbroken as are the rest of us.  Their prayers will now turn to justice for the crimes and healing for everyone involved.  They will absolutely be compassionate towards the children that goes without saying, but they will also pray for the parents, that they will realize the horrible things they did, and accept & willingly serve their consequences.

I just want to clarify that I do NOT IN ANY WAY support or condone what the Nachtigals did.  It horrifies and disgusts me.  But I also, in some ways, feel a need to defend the community in which this happened.  I guess it's just too personal and too close to home.  This community is made up of people I grew up with, they are peaceful, loving, kind people.  They are not fundies.  I do apologize for sounding somewhat harsh and defensive.  This is just really, really personal.

*takes deep breath & walks away for a bit*

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, justwatching said:

With all due respect, I know these people and this community, and want to point something out.

Knowing the community, It does not surprise me at all that there was a prayer walk prior to/during the hearing.  They were not demonstrating against the arrest, they were uniting in prayer that the truth would be told, whatever that truth turned out to be.  No doubt they were also reeling in shock since the report of the arrests, as anyone would be.  The article goes on to say that they were in tears following the press conference, No doubt they were heartbroken as are the rest of us.  Their prayers will now turn to justice for the crimes and healing for everyone involved.  They will absolutely be compassionate towards the children that goes without saying, but they will also pray for the parents, that they will realize the horrible things they did, and accept & willingly serve their consequences.

I just want to clarify that I do NOT IN ANY WAY support or condone what the Nachtigals did.  It horrifies and disgusts me.  But I also, in some ways, feel a need to defend the community in which this happened.  I guess it's just too personal and too close to home.  This community is made up of people I grew up with, they are peaceful, loving, kind people.  They are not fundies.  I do apologize for sounding somewhat harsh and defensive.  This is just really, really personal.

*takes deep breath & walks away for a bit*

Is this church the one the Nachtigels attended and where they're appearing in the video the OP linked to? If so, it sure seems fundie to me as does Paige Nachtigel's "ministry" statement -- from the pulpit -- about their oh-so-wonderful plan to move to back to Peru and convert the heathen while living off donations.

Regarding the church members' prayer walk, perhaps it was intended to be what you think it was. If so, it would be nice for the church to follow up now by issuing a public statement that, above all, supports those abused children and makes it clear that the church does NOT condone and will NOT tolerate such abuse of children by adult members of their congregation. Hell, maybe they could even state that, going forward, any church member who knows or strongly suspects that such abuse is happening in the home of another member will report it immediately to CFS & the police. 

I won't be holding my breath over that, though because, unfortunately, I'm guessing that some of the Nachtigels' fellow church members are the ones rebuking critical commenters in this news clip.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I truly don't want to get into an argument, which is why I really hesitated to post at all, but I just felt it was important to say that not everyone from that area is like the Nachtigals. 

Since I don't attend the church and it isn't affiliated with mine, I can't speak to their doctrine.  I did quickly read through the belief statement on the website and didn't see anything that stuck out to me as anything other than mainstream Christian.  I'm not a theology expert, though (nor a fundy one, for that matter).  I do know some people who attend there and they are just regular folks - normal size families, kids go to public school, parents work normal jobs, etc. 

In my opinion, what Mrs. Nachtigal said or didn't say in her presentation does not reflect on the church as a whole.   She is a drastic exception to the norm there.  Now, if they had her come NOW and speak, that would be an entirely different story.  I absolutely agree that they should release a statement regarding the incident.  If I hear of that happening, I'll come back and post about it.

There are all sorts of comments on the news stories on various media outlets, some are relevant, some aren't, some are just crazy people who comment on everything.  In this particular comment, the writer had some valid points but they were buried in all the other crap she said. I do agree that the court needs to be the one to sort this out (which they are, albeit too late to prevent lasting damage to those poor children - it sounds like this case may trigger some investigations into why that didn't happen), I do agree that the entire family needs to be prayed for, and I do agree that the media doesn't get their facts straight much of the time.  The rest of what she says is unnecessary filler and she certainly came across as a leg-humper.

Just to give my disclaimer again, I am disgusted by what the Nachtigals did, I don't support them and am not advocating for those who may be blindly supporting them. (Also, I know my post count is low, but I promise I've been a member before this happened - I didn't come here just because of this story.)

I hope that all makes sense.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@justwatching: Of course not everyone from that church or town or area is like the Nachtigals. I am sure it is hard to learn that something so horrifying has been going for years where you live or are from.

It looks to me from the various news stories so far that the media actually do "have their facts straight" insofar as any facts are known to date. While it appears from the news stories that many people, including next door neighbors, had no idea of what was really going on, there were multiple (as in 10+) reports to DCF over the past two years. The local law enforcement is following up on those reports by interviewing the complainants to find out what happened:

Quote

 

The North Newton Police Department also plans to spend the coming days tracking down and interviewing the people involved in various stages of the Nachtigals’ adoption process, as well as those who made welfare reports about the family to the Kansas Department for Children and Families.

Jordan said he has learned that DCF received around a dozen reports about the Nachtigals and their adoptive children, with some coming at least as early as 2014. None were forwarded to his department for further investigation, he has said.

It also appears that no one who might have suspected abuse called 911 or contacted law enforcement directly, either, Jordan said.

DCF spokeswoman Theresa Freed last week told The Eagle she couldn’t comment on the details of specific cases.

 

I hope that you and others who are in the community will keep the pressure up on the media and your government agencies to make public the rest of the facts once they are gathered so that this never, ever happens again where you live.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 minutes ago, hoipolloi said:

@justwatching: Of course not everyone from that church or town or area is like the Nachtigals. I am sure it is hard to learn that something so horrifying has been going for years where you live or are from.

It looks to me from the various news stories so far that the media actually do "have their facts straight" insofar as any facts are known to date. While it appears from the news stories that many people, including next door neighbors, had no idea of what was really going on, there were multiple (as in 10+) reports to DCF over the past two years. The local law enforcement is following up on those reports by interviewing the complainants to find out what happened:

I hope that you and others who are in the community will keep the pressure up on the media and your government agencies to make public the rest of the facts once they are gathered so that this never, ever happens again where you live.

Thank you, that is very kind of you.  I appreciate you taking what I was trying to say in the manner in which I was trying to say it.  Sometimes I'm not very good at talking online.   I too was happy that they are pursuing the DCF fail.  I can't imagine the horror that went on in that home.

May I give a good-natured quibble about the media, however?  I happen to work in local media (not in my hometown town), and I can tell you for sure that when we have something newsworthy happen here, by the time it gets to the city it'll be a different story on all 3 stations, and none of them will be completely accurate.  They're usually pretty close on the jist of the story, but it drives us little guys crazy. :my_biggrin:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I understand you are shocked @justwatching but really, some of what you are saying is hard to swallow. I get that you feel upset for your community and I for one am not condemning anyone but the perpetrators and bystanders in the whole mess.  But really, I think it is important at times like this to remember that the victims here are three children who had their skin and bones broken, not the adult community members who may have had their feelings hurt by association with the events.  People are going to talk and investigate now, and so they must, if justice is to be done for those children and if lessons are to be learned for the future.

The media may be fallible but, as far as I can see, much of what has been reported is replicated in official reports or backed up in verifiable behaviour demonstrated in words and actions elsewhere online.

The Grace Community Church looks as fundie as hell from the website and you say that the Nachtigals were not members, but actually, Paige appears in many newsletters as a contact for events that she organises for the church.  She is definitely associated with them in a leadership position, even if she is not a full member, from what I can see.

And the church may have a Kids Club and be  Fundie with a side order of coffee mornings, but still... The Nachtigals were due to be shilling for donations at the Missions weekend that went ahead at the church just days after their arrest, and the church carried on as usual and made no public statement about the very shocking events to which they are inextricably linked by association.  That's disgusting to me.

From my research, the organiser of the prayer march, ?Treena somebody, also seems to be a member of the same fundie homeschooling circles as the Nachtigals, from her online presence, so I very much doubt that her prayer walk was a neutral quest for the truth to come out, as you suggest.  I  don't know why those people felt the need to propel themselves into the spotlight and wave banners for Jesus during the court hearing but it is hard to see it as anything but some sort of holier-than-thou posturing, from where I am standing.   What the hell did they expect Jesus to do at that stage of play, when the police investigation was already so far underway that there was enough evidence to detail the Nachtigals on several serious counts?  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.




×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.