Just recently WORLD magazine had an article about abuse in a Missionary school in Africa. I read it with great sorrow in my heart and tears welling up inside me. But I want to say, emphatically, during the years I was at Tambo High School, in Bolivia, from Spring 1964 to graduation in 1967, to my own personal knowledge there was no abuse of any sort going on at TAMBO. On the web page set up for giving a forum of expression to those abused in Africa, it was indicated that TAMBO was going to be investigated. If this is true I am heartbroken. But, I personally want to speak for the interactions I had at TAMBO.


I was an outsider, and as such, created somewhat of a stir with the authorities at TAMBO. At the time I felt it, and was at times bitter. For me, the coming back to school after a furlough of Mr. and Mrs. Dave Lotz began a positive and healing change for me personally. My differences within the school in fact had much to do with my own casual and ungodly outlook at the time. I'd begun to be a Christian on the outside but ceased walking with God in my heart. I believe the staff realized this and were fearful that my unrepentant heart would cause trouble with other students, especially those I was friends with. However, I praise the LORD always for giving me the privilege of going to Tambo. The friends the LORD brought to me were a strong factor in my wanting to serve the LORD, in fact.

I was never perfect - but a boy who began to pay attention to me, Paul Hale, spoke often to me of faith, and urged me to let the LORD rule and reign in my life. Girls who came along side, Gloria Stairs and Anna Foster are two I've kept in loose touch with over the years, but many others also, never in word or deed showed any interest in 'rebelling' but rather made me want to love the LORD.


Many things also touched me long term.  Mr. Metzgar shared how God healed his beloved daughter Charlotte at a young age. He also shared about God speaking to him how taking things home from work, pens and paperclips is what I remember, was stealing. One of the staff taught on being responsible for the area around you - not carving on the desks, not throwing papers down on the ground. Then we put the message into practice covering the whole school grounds picking up trash. VERY effective for me. I still cannot throw stuff out the car window!!!!

Bill Gothard's teaching about honoring parents in dating and not dabbling in any form of witchcraft was very timely for me. I'd not ever been interested in astrology, but had been reading a book about how to control other peoples thoughts. My dad found it and threw it away, but with the teaching from Mr. Gothard I learned why.  In Africa I saw how dealing directly in Satan's territory brings havoc in lives and nations.


I confess, I did not get along with every staff member equally, but though there were some misunderstandings that caused me some trouble, it was that only - and since growing up and having children of my own I understand more.


I personally praise the LORD for taking me to TAMBO. And I want to speak for the staff there at that time. I do feel now and even did then, that it was not God's plan for a family to have children and then post them off to a boarding school while they did work for the LORD. And I felt very strongly that it was horrific for husbands and wives to be separated for months at a time. I know their hearts were to serve the LORD but I believe God's plan was for families to live together, and children raised by father and mother - at least in the early years. But, my friends at Tambo, who went to school there from grade one all are very positive and loving about those school years so I believe God honored the intent of their parents hearts.

It is unfortunate that there were people willing in the African school to abuse those young lives. I deeply grieve for them - in fact I've been praying for the victims of that abuse but also for those who sinned against the children, and the authorities who took the knowledge of abuse casually. I know God is mighty to forgive, but repentance does not follow forgiveness, rather repentance is followed by forgiveness. I know, as I've done my own share of sinning and needing God's divine restoration. And I also believe where repentance is not evidenced there will be a meeting with the LORD regarding those areas. I say this fearfully, as I know my own need of repentance and keeping my own heart right with God.

But in praying what came to me, was the word in the Romans 12:19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”

Only in remembering God is in control and will deal with each of us according to our lives, have I been able to let go of my own rage against those who destroy the lives of children. We are called by God to stop evil when we see it and are in a position to do it officially before the Law, and following in the body of Christ, God's plan for the church /Spiritual leaders to deal with sin - but in the end I have to leave it there. I pray for repentance.


We, the body of Christ, need to become serious before the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY.

Dick James and Jean Betes with friend, 1963

Lady Bikers – This Is Our Story
by Jean Bates

In 1964 I was stationed in the city of Cochabamba, Bolivia, where I worked at the Wycliffe Bible Translators’ new Print Shop, with all the wonderful equipment Dick James (the inventor of the Slinky Toy!) had donated to the Mission. He was teaching me how to run the press and other equipment, but he had to return to the States for a few months, and left his 350 Zundapp motorcycle with me while he was gone. Claudia had graduated from Tambo in 1963, but remained in Bolivia for one year, learning the printing trade in the Cochabamba Print Shop, and then working with another missionary in the Beni for 2 months.

I taught Claudia how to drive Dick’s Zundapp. It was very heavy, but she learned how to balance it, and could just barely put the kick stand into place when she stopped! My own motorcycle was a Honda 90, trail model—a light machine! There weren’t many cars in Cochabamba—there were more bicycles and motorbikes. It was very common to see ladies riding their bicycles to town, with their purses hanging from the handle bars, and rear-view mirrors. You even had to have a license plate for your bicycle.

Our annual NTM Mission conference was always held at the Tambo School right after the graduation exercises. Folks from Cochabamba (and Santa Cruz) generally took the public transportation busses to Tambo for the annual conference, which was an 8-hour ride over the Andes Mountains!

But Claudia said to me, “Let’s take the motorcycle – who wants to ride in the stuffy old bus?” That stopped me for a moment – but then I got to thinking it would really be fun! Claudia would be leaving soon to go to Bible College and this would be our last mother-daughter fling!

So we carefully planned our journey. The motorcycle had no carrying case except saddlebags for tools, so we strapped the case of a small portable typewriter onto the back luggage rack. In that we carried a light lunch, beverages, and a change of clothes. It all fit perfectly.

We knew it would be cold going through the Rain Forest, so we ordered two custom- made, white, fur-lined leather jackets from a local tailor. Typical to the Bolivian culture, he procrastinated almost too long – the jackets weren’t ready until two days before we left! We also carried a lap blanket with us.

We put our hair up in curlers, and covered our heads with white knit caps. (No helmet requirements in those days.) Donning our beautiful new coats, we left quite early in the morning.

(Harley Motorcycle Club Members can stop reading here! Typical “BIKERS” we were not!)

What fun! We decided that we would alternate drivers -- I would drive for one hour, and Claudia would drive for a half-hour. What a beautiful drive, when we got out of town! Cochabamba is nestled in a valley at 8,000 feet altitude. From there we drove up through the Andes Mountains, probably up to 10,000 ft., and then dropped back down to Tambo at 5,000 feet. For about 20 miles of this route, through the Rain Forest, they claim the sun never shines! The road construction crews finally gave up on paving this stretch of the Pan American Highway. It is always overcast, and almost always raining or drizzling. While driving through this stretch Claudia and I discovered a beautiful little pond that we had never noticed when traveling by bus. We pulled off the road and pushed the bike down the slope to the pond, which had some trees beside it. It was a perfect spot for a picnic lunch!

On our way again after eating, the road continued to worsen, until we were driving in one of two deep ruts in the center of the roadway. It was wet and cold and we were thankful for our warm jackets and hats. And of course the motorcycle had a nice windshield which kept most of the wind and rain off the driver’s face! I drove through the Rain Forest, and Claudia helped me tuck our lap robe across the front of the bike, covering my knees, to keep out the biting wind. Although it was tough driving in the mud and the rain, we were doing okay until a huge truck approached us. Though the road was wide enough for him to get out of the ruts and move to one side, he obviously was not a gentleman. He remained dead-center in the ruts, barreling toward us, until we realized he had no intention of moving over. I swung the bike to the right, into the slop, and we both got off and just stood there waiting for him to pass, and trying to keep the bike from falling flat into the slippery mud. In case anyone is wondering, that is much too close to an oncoming truck for comfort! His wheels threw out a huge splash of mud and water all over us! We were truly a mess.

But we were thankful he hadn’t hit us! And we are quite sure he would have squished us like road-kill and kept on going! Once we were back on pavement, past the Rain Forest, we found a spot to pull over and kind of catch our breath!

As we approached Tambo, Claudia directed us to a spot where we could stop. She was very familiar with the area as she and other kids had hiked all over. We stopped at the “First Bridge” (a destination landmark), which was about a mile from Tambo. The bridge was over a dry creek bed, but it was a place where could get off the road and freshen up. Using the water we had with us, we washed our faces. Then we changed into the spare clothes we had brought, removed our curlers, and combed our hair.

We felt truly refreshed! From that point on we drove very slowly the last mile into the school, arriving all prim and proper as if we had just gone around the block!

Nobody could believe that we had actually driven the bike all the way from Cochabamba! Everyone was quite impressed!

We were hungry, and believe me, we sure did sleep well that night!

It was a trip of a lifetime, and the return trip to Cochabamba was just as fun, though without the truck challenge in the Rain Forest!

All these pictures come from the mid 1960's. They were taken by my father Fred Borden or by me. I apologize for the lines not appearing correctly above the pictures. This publishing program has a mind of it's own and will not be subject to my instructions.

Rain forest on road to Tambo.

The main square from the hill, mid 1960's.

Road at Tambo entrance.

Mrs Elizabeth Lotz and Charlotte Metzger.

Class in session about 1966.

Kitchen duty- Sharon Presson in green blouse

Galilee Weldon, Priscella Gess, Janet Key,
Ann Johnson, Charlotte Metzger, Arleta Johnston

Chart of the Book of John

One of the really fun classes at Tambo was Bill Pittinger's Bible class. We had to do a chart for each book of the Bible we studied. Here is a copy of one of those I did around 1966. It is one of the few I got an A+ on so I kept it.

In a recent e-mail conversation with Maxine Morarie she told me a little about Howie’s home going. He was very young, having gone on ahead of us in 1994. At the left is a picture taken shortly before Howie's death. Thank you Mark for finding this picture and letting me use it.

I remember Howie at Tambo as a fun, all around kid. He was into sports, the soccer team shown below, and loved music. I was Ruth in the "Pirates of Penzance" and Howie was Frederic. It was great fun.

One of the fun things I enjoyed at Tambo was going out as a group on the week-ends. Mostly this was when the moon was full. Usually we would walk to first bridge, on the road to Cochabamba. I can remember walking along with Howie and my friend Bonnie Ziegler talking about the big and little issues of life. When the moon was full, it was like we could reach up and pull it down. And the stars had no competition with any city light. The night sky was awesome. We did not realize, as we cheerily enjoyed the outing that we would look back on many of those casual activities as some of the great moments of our lives - at least it is true of me.

When you are young you think you will all be around for a full life time, but with Patty Morgenroth’s home going the students at Tambo all faced the sober truth, that it was not a given we would grow old in this life. The high school students, as a whole, re-evaluated our own lives and faith. This is also how I felt when I heard of Howie's home going. I sometimes think the Lord calls the best ones home so He can enjoy more direct face time with them. I know, that's a bit whimsical.

I wish I had known Howie as a beloved School Principle. As I read the account below from his mom, I had tears in my eyes. Tears filled with a joy that Howie’s life, although too short for us left behind, was one of impact on the world he inhabited. That his death was a testimony to the Lord he loved and served.

Below is a bit of the story Mrs. Maxine Morarie shared with me recently.

“Yes, It was very hard to see Howie have to leave his family. We plead with the Lord to spare him for his children's sake, but God is good all the time, and his ways are past finding out. The marvelous thing is that his son John (21) and daughter Meghann (19) both love and follow the Lord. He would be so pleased to see them ... or maybe he does???? (Heb. 12:1)

When he was in the hospice so many people came to visit him and to tell him goodbye it was amazing. He was in the hospice 17 days.. He couldn't speak because the cancer had destroyed his voice box, but he communicated with each one by writing his part of the conversation .... Invariably the person would ask for the page from the notebook he wrote on. He'd hold up one finger ... and resume writing, signing the page: I am at perfect peace. I'm going home to see my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Howard Morarie.

He wrote to me during this time, "Mom, this dying isn't all bad. When I was a principle I couldn't say all I wanted to say to staff and students, but here I am witnessing freely to all who come!"

Mike is so musical and plays the guitar and sings so he would take his guitar into Howie's room, and he said it was like Aaron being Moses' voice. Howie would size up the situation of whoever was in the room at the moment. He'd motion Mike over and write the song he wanted Mike to sing... and Mike would deliver the message!

Carol Ann was often at the hospice, and invariable he'd want her to rub his feet and legs. He was writing "goodbyes" to people, and one day Carol came and he handed her a note. She thought, "Wow, I'm going to get a special "goodbye" too! But when she read the note it said, "Sis, can you rub my legs!"

He chose his little sister Trish (early 20's at the time) to pass his words on at the memorial. She felt so honored.

While in the hospice he was informed that he had earned his doctorate. Professors from Colorado University came to inform him. He died soon after, so when it was awarded, Howard and his wife Julia walked together for it. He accomplished so much in his life time.

I could go on and on... it was a sad, sad time, but also a glorious time! I miss him still... and so do his siblings... and I think we've all over glorified the situation... but it seems to comfort us and help us to see that God even used his death, and that it wasn't in vain.

Howie had married a girl from Mexico that he met on a trip with his Spanish students to Colima, giving them the experience of living with families there to perfect their speaking and understanding. Julia was a young doctor and for Howie it was love at first sight. They had been married only 7 years when he died. Julia is wonderful... and very much a part of our family still. “

If any reads this and has memories to share, I hope you will.

Patricia Jane Morgenroth 22/6/48-2/12/65

There had been a period of some apathy at Tambo. Many of the students were fretting about the rule. Some of the students and the staff had begun to actively pray for a move of the Lord.

Then one of the young men had suffered a severe hit in the groin with a baseball bat during a game. It left all the students a bit subdued as there were questions as to how bad the injury was and would it have long term affects.

Only a short while later,as the day was drawing toward supper time, the students were free for a while. Some of the boys were playing soccer on the field and others of us were just standing around talking and enjoying the cooling off of the day. My memory was it was fairly warm. It was the 1st of December, and we were all looking forward to the Christmas break. The year - 1965.

One of the staff members, Mr. Wiebe needed to get something done with a car battery. He was taking it on his motor scooter, placed between his feet.

As he was preparing to leave Patty Morgenroth asked to go with him and he agreed to take her. The next thing we heard was that they had had an accident. That Mr. Wiebe had swerved to miss a drunk man weaving around on a bicycle and the weight of the battery between his feet over balanced the scooter. Don Estani came and got Mr. Dave Lotz and they went and brought them back to the school. Patty was placed on a bed in the clinic and Mr Wiebe was put in another room. Mr. Wiebe seemed to be the more serious. His wife acting also as the school nurse, was attending to him.

The high school students all gathered outside to find out how Patty was. Mr. Lotz was in with Patty and it was found that she was not breathing. Mr. Lotz began to do artificial respiration immediately.

After a time Roy Barnhart asked to help and Mr. Lotz allowed him to take over. My memory is that Gloria Stairs and I helped him. Roy breathed their breath into Patty and Glory had to gently force it out and I was there to do anything that was needed -like give drinks of water and wiping the brow of the one giving the artificial respiration.

There were several teams and we traded off through the night. We even teased as we worked, about telling Patty when this was over how these guys kissed her all night. We never stopped or considered she was in serious trouble. Mrs. Wiebe was herself occupied with her husband so it was just us students in charge of Patty.

Several of the high school boys spent the night on the radio trying to rouse someone to get a message to the mission home in Cochabamba (where Patty's parents were) to have a plane dispatched to take Patty to hospital. There were no telephones and our only outside contacts were done with Ham radios. The school was a 7 or 8 hour road trip through a rain forest and over the Andes Mountains to Cochabamba - also the closest hospital. So, we needed to have a plane come to get Patty.

Then some of the other boys began asking around and found out there was apparently a Doctor down the road toward Santa Cruz. Though they were not licensed, they took the school truck to go out and find this doctor. Unfortunately they were unable to find him.

At about 4:00 AM, in extreme exhaustion, we got the news that someone had been roused in Cochabamba and contacted New Tribes Mission headquarters. Arrangements were made for a plane to come.

The school pista at that time was VERY rough, often the pasture for cattle. So the high school boys went up to clear debris off the strip, rocks, bushes, cows -
anything that appeared to be a danger for a plane landing.

My memory was that the plane arrived around 8 in the morning, and Patty was airlifted out, now on mechanical life support.

School for the high school students was suspended for the day. We who had been up all night, fell into bed in an exhausted sleep. I remember waking up in the early afternoon to hear that the Doctors at the hospital had spoken to Mr and Mrs. Morgenroth about Patty. They said no one seemed to know how long she had not been breathing when we found her and that even if they got her heart going there was a good chance Patty' mind would be gone from lack of oxygen. I am sure the decision the Morgenroth's had to make was the hardest one of their whole life. Patty was removed from life support on December 2, 1965 allowed to go home and meet her Lord.

This was a VERY hard and sobering truth for the Tambo community. It seemed impossible that one of our number, our fellow friend and peer, was not coming back. I know for me, the reality of death was re-enforced in my own life. My brother had been killed in 1961. But as I did not see his body, a part of me tried to believe he was just living somewhere else. But with Patty I KNEW she was gone.

The other thing that over time really struck me was that you didn't have to be a grown up to do grown up things. The high school student body all worked together for Patty that night. Everyone moved up to do something to help without being asked. None of us stood in line to be assigned. We each in our own way looked for the way we could help Patty and then went out and did it. Out of the fire, the students were tested and come out refined and stronger.

Patty's death brought all of us there face to face the reality of life and death.

Random memories

Just thinking of some of my favorite memories of Tambo. I remember getting up early in the mornings to study for tests - more the year I graduated if I am remembering correctly. Sometimes I would take my notes and walk up and down the roadway that lead into Tambo, which ran behind the dorms. But I found a place to study that I loved. Admittedly, I was scared every time I went there but I loved it. I would go up the road leading to the Pista, and breaking away onto the stoney ground above the river. I would walk over to the stones futherest from the roadway and sit down on the rocks. I carried a flashlight to guide my path and for studying my notes, once seated. I would arrive while it was still dark (Don't know how I ever got away with leaving the dorm so early in the morning - usually about 4:30 on test mornings) I would a be really scared of meeting up with a snake. Amazingly never thought about mountain cats. HA! Only worried about snake and scorpions. After a careful look around I would sit down and begin to study. But, the clear cool air, the velvety night, and brillient display of stars and then sky beginning to lighten up behind the mountians across the river, and finally the very rim of the sun rising above the hills, were a constant enticement away from the studying I was there to do. The studying must have worked some because I did graduate, but never since have I experienced such magical mornings. The Lord was good cuz if I had ever had any trouble no one knew where I was.

During those years at Tambo I often would leave the school grounds to sit up up in the tree house I'd found in the first year, or sitting on a tree limb or purched on the hillside up behind the dorms to have may quiet time. One of the major hurtles of my life after leaving Tambo was being in a lifestyle that did not offer an outdoor getaway for having devotions. For awhile it seemed I could not feel the presence of the Lord til I looked at the real issue which was missing this great outdoor life I'd been able to enjoy during my Tambo years.

Another major issue was the daily chapel hour before breakfast. I'm having a blank moment here. It was before breakfast wasn't it? If anyone reads this and they find errors please let me know. But, having a dad who was quite a dynamic speaker I found it initially hard to listen to the speakers who gave the devotion and chapel messages. It seems all of them just talked quietly, like a teaching session and the sermons felt like ithey weren't that important. But I came to understand I was defrauding the Lord if I just switched off and began to be attentive (most of the time). I'm sure I learned a lot of things about the Lord and my Christian walk there but it's funny the things that have shaped my way of living my life.

I cannot throw trash on the ground, as I walk or drive in a car or visit a picnic sight. One day one of the teachers spoke on the subject of defacing desks and the landscape with our trash. Then we had to walk the whole school property and clean it. I will admit, I now will throw things like apple cores or banana peels out the window but I cannot throw even a gum paper wrapper out and I want to yell at people I see carelessly trashing the landscape.

I remember Mr. Medgzar (sp) talking about honesty, even to taking of paper clips from a work place (I'm not as honest in this regard as I could be, but always I hear his message in my mind.) He also spoke passionately of how the Lord miraculiously healed Charlotte of a severe overbite - and since I thought she was one of the most beautiful girls I knew, this deeply pleased me - that the Lord heard the deep cry of her father's heart and brought her such evident healing.

I've talked much about the spiritual aspect of my time at Tambo. I Praise the Lord that in His plan I got to go there. I know many of the teachers felt I was a rebel - and I would be lying to say ther was NO rebellion in me but one of the things that happened to me was there was the peer pressure of the other students who did not accept ungodly behaviour or talk. I came to Tambo at 15, from a place where the other young people I knew in the church and at school had become increasing careless in their lives, and I, in an efforto be accepted at school began to talk and act in a way that made me ashamed but I wanted to be accepted so badly I ignored my heart. So my 'friends' and I encouraged each other in our very ungodly talk and actions. When I went to Tambo I quickly found out my talk shocked the other girls at school so I withdrew inside myself for awhile but slowly what I was seeing and hearing at Tambo birthed a deepening desire inmy heart to love and serve the Lord . I came to repentance, and found a renewed life in the Lord. People who remember me may find that somewhat hard to believe, but I tell you assuredly, it was because the Lord lead me to Tambo, and because of the encouragement and teaching there that I developed a deep love for the Lord.