whatsup?: Michael Brown and Haiti: Exposing the Lies and Revealing the Truth PART 8

My mother on occassion would tell me the famous quote by Sir Walter Scott, "Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive!"

Who knew this saga would be so intense??

We are now going to focus on the Haiti orphanage run by Keith Lashbrook and the ties to Brownsville Revival School of Ministry, Fire School, Fire International and Globe International.

As you may recall, I was a student of Brownsville Revival School of Ministry in 2000 and after the school split, I joined Fire School headed by Dr Michael Brown, graduated in 2002 and was a Fire International missionary living in Berlin Germany until 2005 when the Lord opened my eyes and I quit the school and returned to the USA.

Read Ezekiel 8

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Haitian Adoption Nightmare

FAMILIES CLAIM SEXUAL ABUSE AT MISSION

By Rick Outzen

LINK TO DECEMBER 2011 ARTICLE:

https://inweekly.net/haitian-adoption-nightmare/

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The following are from emails recieved from friends

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> This statement is to anyone that is asking for proof that Brown tried to silence me (and other moms) in 2010-early 2011:
>
> What would you do (I’m asking those of you who have sat under MLB as a student) if someone you hold in such high esteem (Brown) continued to insert himself with (very opinionated) advice, after you found out that your children had been sexually abused by someone in ministry leadership?
>
> Then add the level of chaos and confusion we faced because the abuse had taken place in another country and your local authorities didn’t know what to do with the police reports because the crimes were commited outside of their jurisdiction.
>
> Let’s even add that the country where the crimes took place had just been hit by a massive earthquake that destroyed government buildings.
>
> Now, let’s add the fact that your children are not yet US citizens and came here on humanitarian parole. Most of the children were not even adopted yet (still in the process).
>
> Let’s think about your home. You are in a state of emergency with your children. You’re looking for someone to counsel them and most counselors you reach out to do not feel they are equipped to handle this level of trauma (in your local area), some children even need inpatient intervention, and you must protect the innocence of the other children (young biological children who have not been abused) while maintaining peace and never ever shaming your children who have lost all innocence (ALL innocence-even my 3 year old).
>
> Back to Brown…after sitting under his teachings, mentorship, leadership for years…you’ve developed the “WWBD” complex (what would brown do) because he was the epitome of holy living (right?). Well, I had this complex. I brought it into my marriage, my parenting, my life.
>
> In July 2010 I received my first of 3 phone calls (I believe 3), along with emails and messages from Brown, chiding me to be “above reproach” while handling the information I have received from my children (and several other familes with adopted children from the same orphanage), telling me to not send letters to donors and churches that currently supported the corrupt missionaries, to not inform the public through social media (warning them), to not take legal action at that time (this was 7 months into our discovery phase).
>
> What would you do if you received a FB message at 11:40 at night within 30 minutes of posting something on social media; something you (as a grown adult and parent) felt was pertinent to let your friends/family/acquaintances know? A message that strikes your core with “WWBD”. Those of you who have had this complex can understand how I felt. I felt shame. I felt like I was a gossip and a bad Christian. I felt the same way I just felt when I watched his pathetic interview with Heather Schott 2 nights ago (yes although I’m free now, the emotions came flooding back in).
>
> Very few have walked out what I have over the past 15 years. My focus was always on my children. So my focus was not on my former teacher. But the questions did often come to mind, or they would come up in conversations with other Haiti mamma grads or family members. Especially when I would see Brown insert himself into Morningstar and IHOP abuse issues. I would watch from afar and think, “That’s just like what he did to us”. I still let it go.
>
> Another point I’d like to make, is after our final phone call where MLB once again chided us about our tone and actions (February 2011) he did not reach out to us again. I reached out to him in May 2012 to ask if he or someone from FIRE could give account of Keith Lashbrook’s grooming of young female students and SA on their campus in 2007, or locate one of his victims, in order to testify in Keith’s court hearing as a witness to his predatorial-like behavior. Then, about a year and a half later (fall 2013) I asked him about a certain Messianic church, wanting his opinion. We’ve never communicated ever again.
>
> Over the past 12 years he had never reached out and asked about my children. He never asked how the investigation was going.
>
> Why would he be so invested from July 2010-February 2011 (2/2011 is when I informed him that ICE was involved and lawyers were hired), and then never reach out ever again? Don’t you find that odd?
>
> Jump forward to December 2024, when I read the Roys Report. I read about what he had done to Sarah, I read about what he had done to “Kim”. I read about what he helped his son in law cover up (a fellow grad in my class). I read about the years of manipulation and coverup by him. I was shocked. I couldn’t even wrap my mind around it at first.
>
> Weeks went by. I couldn’t shake the memory of what he had done to “us Haiti moms”. So I reach out to them. And we all shared the same feelings.
>
> I then decided to give my testimony to the Firefly investigator (although it was outside of the scope of his investigation), and in order to prepare for his phone call and jog my memory I went back over all of the emails and messages with Brown- so did the other moms. And, it’s like “the scales finally fell off”. I truly saw it. He didn’t care about us. He cared about the sanctity of the institution-Globe and FIRE’s reputation. HIS reputation. He had manipulated us with his “fatherly advice”. He tried to control the narrative and put out the “fire” he saw coming. A fire that would lead back to his ministry; letting a predator off the hook.
>
> See, he did not report Keith to Globe, the agency that oversaw Keith Lashbrook in Haiti (the agency we later sued-public record) and Brown absolutely KNEW that Keith Lashbrook was a GLOBE missionary. I’d even told him when he met my adopted son Benjamin at my 10 year BRSM reunion that I had recently taken Ben to a Globe picnic so they could meet him…but he knew even before that, because GLOBE and BRSM sat on the same campus and Keith would visit our school when he was in town for GLOBE events. Notice in Brown’s email to Doug Gehman (below), President of Globe, that he signs “Blessings, Michael”? They all knew each other. First name basis. Had been in the same circles for years.
>
> Brown and Josh Peters (former Globe missionary same time as Keith) knew Keith Lashbrook was a Globe missionary and did not inform Globe in 2007 when they kicked Keith off of their campus (Keith was living in an RV on the FIRE campus and leading a “father daughter” outreach to the FIRE female students). In fact, Brown waited 3 years to tell Globe, after he found out about our children being abused in Keith’s Haitian orphanage.
>
> It is because of this realization that I decided to speak publicly, for the first time (other than an interview with a local paper in 2011).
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> Michael Brown has shown a pattern of manipulation, control, and cover up-silencing victims (and I now know about other situations that have not been made known publicly…direct knowledge…not “gossip”).
>
> I will not be silenced…
>
> Attached are correspondence’s from Brown.
> The last one is a letter I wrote to my attorney at the time, responding to her question about Brown’s email telling his “grads” to not take legal action and not go public.

NOTE:attachments were not included in the email

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Below is Kjersti Johnson's Response to Dr Peters' letters followed by her interview podcast with Wake Up and Win podcast a few weeks ago which was posted on this blog in Part 1.

To FIRE Grads and FI Missionaries,

Once again, I am torn between making a statement or notbothering. I honestly don’t care what Dr. Peters thinks of me, but the posture in which he has written his two letters to FI Missionaries is bothersome to me. Not only is he overly defensive and ugly with his words, but he is also not entirelyhonest in his responses. As grads and current missionaries, I understand if you want to stay out of the fray, and I have no hard feelings towards that stance. But, if you are curious, and would like to hear both sides of the story, please continue, and know that my heart is not to destroy anyone, it is only to speak truth to the lies and to stand with the abused.

In my interview with Wake Up and Win, I did not feel like I was overly harsh with Josh and Tobi Peters. I stated that they knew the allegations against Keith (of inappropriate behavior with teenage girls) but did not think it was their place to share that information with us. However, they knew that we were adopting children under his care, and so I had questions. I did not make inflammatory remarks, I did not accuse him of anything, I simply said that they were our covering as FI missionaries, and they did not share pertinent information with us that could have protected our other children. My line of questioning was more about why they would protect an alleged sexual predator (he was preying on teenage girls under the guise of a father/daughter healing ministry) rather than err on the side of protecting children under the care of the alleged sexual predator? I still feel like that’s a fair question. If I heard allegations of inappropriate conduct from an adult male with teenagers, and that adult male oversaw an entire orphanage of children…. I might have had a different response. And by “might” I mean I definitely wouldhave done things differently. But I never accused Peters of being involved in the abuse or even of covering anything up.

I realize Dr. Peters wrote these two letters to FI Missionaries and asked for them not to be shared. But someone deemed it appropriate to share, and I am thankful. There is a common saying, “Truth does not mind being questioned, but a lie does not like being challenged.” I will be responding to the statements in Peters’ letter that I feel are problematic or untrue and I give you full permission to share, disagree, or challenge my side of the story because, well, it’s just my side of the story. I have nothing to gain and everything to lose, but I cannot stand by and let untruths go unchallenged.

In Peters’ first letter, “Setting the Record Straight,” he said that he had no part in our trip to visit the Lashbrook orphanage in Haiti. Except… he is the one that connected us with the team that was going there. In the letter, he stated that Erich and I came home from being missionaries in Irian Jaya because “it was too a difficult place to live and work.” That is entirely untrue. We came home for two reasons; first, because the tribes needed a linguist and we were not linguists. Secondly, because we were 5 months pregnant with our first child and wanted to deliver in the States (not in a country where blood samples are carried around in open jars and you have to bring your own linens to the hospital). I was 4 months pregnant, traveling up the MembramoRiver in a dugout canoe, being bumped by a crocodile big enough to swim in the Membramo River, surrounded by a tribe that, four years prior, was still head hunting. We did not come home because it was too “difficult.” We loved the “difficult.” We came home because it was not a safe place to have our first born. We did not return to Irian Jaya after our daughter was bornbecause our hearts were still in Haiti (after spending 3 months there with a FIRE Medical Missions team before we got married). And that is when Dr Peters connected us with the Lashbrooks to visit Haiti and explore the possibility of returning to the field there instead of Irian Jaya. This statement was irrelevant to the conversation and was meant to undermine us. It shows a lack of character, in my opinion.

One of the most ludicrous things in Dr Peters’ letter is the statement that he does “not recall any initial conversation with (us) asking if (we) should adopt Haitian children from the Lashbrook orphanage.” We were full grown, married adults with a kid of our own. Missionaries, actually. We were not his children. The irony of him thinking we should have asked him for his advice, as though he was our father figure, while he withheld information that could have protected our family, simply because it “wasn’t his place to share,” is laughable. You wanted us to treat you like some sort of guardian, or father figure, while you were not guarding us or looking out for us in any way?

In Peters’ letter he states that “there was no connection between the issue with Keith Lashbrook in 2007 and the orphanage issue in Haiti.” In my opinion, sexual misconduct with teenage girlsconnects directly with child sexual abuse.

Peters then refers to the gospel writers and makes some random comparison about how all their versions of what happened with Jesus were different in detail. Hmm. Except they all told the same story… but okay.

On page 3 of the letter, Peters refers to me questioning him having heard rumors and not sharing them with us and then states that he “had no information about any abuse at the orphanage.” This is a deflection. I never said he had information about abuse at the orphanage. When I called the Peters to tell them what our boys from Haiti were saying, I remember their response being something like this, “Yeah, we knew of allegations against Keith of inappropriate conduct with teenage girls, but we didn’t feel it was our place to share.” In the letter, he adds, “If I were to adopt, I would have done a thorough background check on the orphanage myself!” (Emphasis not added, that exclamation point was his.) So, if I understand correctly, we shouldn’t have trusted the fact that if Dr. Peters, our covering as FI missionaries, was sending us to serve in an orphanage, that it was a trustworthy ministry. Apparently, we should have vetted it ourselves. This leaves me feeling really confused, should we have trusted you or not trusted you as our covering?

Now for Peters’ second letter titled, “Dispelling Erroneous Claims about Dr Peters and Dr Brown’s involvement with Haiti.” Right out the gate he states that “Keith’s departure from FIRE was very public. His actions did not have anything to do with child abuse.” At this point, Erich and I had graduated from FIRE, at least 5 years prior, did not live in Charlotte and would have had no knowledge of Keith Lashbrook’s “ministry” on the FIRE campus, let alone him being kicked out. And ALL OF his actions in NC had to do with sexual abuse and grooming.

Peters goes on to talk about inflammatory statements made on the grads page, none of which were mine. I was a guest on a podcast, I raised valid questions and said nothing inflammatory or slanderous. I was not included in the naming or branding of the podcast and have erred on the side of respect when questioning the way FIRE leadership handled the Haiti situation.

I cannot say with certainty, but I believe it is highly unlikely that the leadership at FIRE was unaware of Keith’s connection with Globe. I have every reason in the world to doubt that statement, but no proof. Keith had been a Globe missionary since 1997. The Peters themselves were Globe Missionaries until the split in 2001. Globe is not that big of an organization; it seems highly unlikely that the Peters did not know Keith Lashbrook was among Globe’s missionaries.

As I stated in my response to Dr Brown’s statement to The RoysReport regarding us adoptive moms; even Browns use of the word “attack” in relation to our public cries for justice is revealing. In Dr. Brown’s letter to Globe, he was not “confronting” them, he was advising and encouraging them: he thanked them for their time, was sympathetic about the difficult situation, and said he was praying for them. In his communication to us, he instructed us to: give Globe more time, do not take legal action, do not “attack” Globe, and to believeGlobe (who we had informed him was actively lying to us.). He basically told us not to “attack” the agency actively covering up the abuse of our children.

Dr Peters says that we claimed that FIRE discouraged us from filing a lawsuit and that we believed a lawsuit could have stopped further abuse. That is not what we claimed. We were simply asking questions like, “If FIRE had warned Globe of Keith’s allegations in 2007 and had him removed from the orphanage pending an investigation, would that have prevented some abuse?” Or “If FIRE and GLOBE had taken the allegations from our kids serious and demanded that Keith be removed from the orphanage, pending an investigation, could it have stopped the abuse sooner?” Let me ask you, how would you, as a believer, as a parent, as a missionary have handled allegations of child abuse (following previous allegations of sexual misconduct with teens) from a missionary who was overseeing an orphanage? Would you have told the families of the abused to settle down? To trust the process? To not take legal action? To believe the agency actively lying to you and trying to cover up the scandal affecting their very ministry? No, I hope not.

Peters also states that the “Task Force” that Globe formed to investigate the allegations believed “abusive activities took place at the (orphanage) but that none of the abuse that could be pinpointed actually involved Keith Lashbrook or any other Globe missionaries.” I find that interesting since Florida state CPS investigated, interviewed several children, and concluded that Keith’s own adopted children were not safe in his care and removed them permanently from his custody. There are court documents to back that up.

Peters accuses us moms of becoming cynical, sarcastic and mean-spirited in response to Globe’s lack of action. That might have been true in the end but let me add some context; each of us reached out to Globe, acting out Matthew 18 (which is NOT the proper way to handle a CRIME), and fully expected them to react appropriately. I have a copy of the letter I sent to the “Task Force” and it was not inflammatory, sarcastic or mean spirited. They, on the other hand, were condescending, dishonest, and shared all the information we entrusted to them with the accused. When we asked them for help with therapy for our kids, they told us they could not because it would make them look guilty. No joke, I have the email. So yeah, if you had heard the stories coming out of our children’s mouths and reached out to a “Christian” agency (who was the covering for the guilty party) for help with their counseling and received that as a response… you might get cynical as well. When your own leadership, who you have followed and respected for years, treats the accused with more respect and sympathy than you and your abused children… yeah, you might get sarcastic.

As far as Dr Peters throwing Mr. Barry and Mr. Gladstone under the bus while attempting to look like he’s not throwing them under the bus… Mr. Barry was not even on staff at FIRE in 2010. He and Carolyn were partnering with us in pursuing justice for our kids because it was the right thing to do and they are people of integrity. Mr. Barry and Mr. Gladstone both responded to the allegations as you would expect a fellow believer would respond; they were shocked, appalled and called for action immediately. Dr Brown delayed in responding, tried to give the impression he was advocating for us (even though he never asked what we needed) and then appeared to side with Globe, encouraging them and showing them sympathy while rebuking us adoptive parents for speaking out. Dr. Peters isn’t far from correct in saying that he was not involved. After sending us to Haiti to connect with the Lashbrooks and responding with a “What did you expect from an orphanage in Haiti?” attitude after finding out about the abuse, we never contacted the Peters again. When we contacted the Peters initially, it was not because our adopted boys were “too unruly” to have in our home. We contacted him because they had been horrifically abused and were grooming our own children for abuse and we felt like they needed to know what was taking place at Globe. Again, this feels like another character attack from Peters meant to undermine us.

Lastly, Dr. Peters states that the “FBI finalized their report and did not find enough proof to pursue any kind of legal action”which is entirely false. In fact, they turned their case over to ICE with findings of sexual abuse and our case is still open with ICE.

In closing, when BRSM split and FIRE was formed, I was home for break. My pastor got a letter from Kilpatrick that was not kind towards the faculty who chose to leave with Dr Brown, and he encouraged pastors and parents to make their students remain at BRSM. I also got a letter from Mr. Gladstone regarding the formation of FIRE. There was nothing unkind, accusatory or ugly in the letter. No defense of their decision to leave, just an invite to join them. That letter is the reason I went with FIRE. I could see the posture in which each letter was written, and it swayed my decision. If you are torn, I get it. We have looked up to and respected these leaders for decades now and it’s confusing. But if you can step back and read Dr Browns statement to TRR and read both of Dr Peters’ letters from an objective place… you will see the posture in which they were written. They have everything to lose and us moms, we have nothing to gain. We did not set out to destroy anyone. Honestly, I was only seeking justice for my kids. The investigation into Brown brought into the light some questions about Haiti and I was just excited to have light shining on it again. This was never about Brown or Peters for me. It was only ever about truth and justice for the kids. I did not intend to be caught in the crosshairs, but to be honest, the lack of integrity, humility, and even Christlikeness coming out of the current FIRE leadership camp is shocking. I might be a nobody, but I won’t back down. It is our job to speak truth to the lies and I won’t stop. Isaiah 59has become my favorite passage in recent years, so I will end with a portion of it:

“So justice is far from us, and righteousness does not reach us. We look for light, but all is darkness; for brightness, but we walk in deep shadows… Justice is driven back, and righteousness stands at a distance; truth has stumbled in the streets, honesty cannot enter. Truth is nowhere to be found, and whoever shuns evil becomes prey. The Lord looked and was displeased that there was no justice. He saw that there was no one, he was appalled that there was no one to intercede; so his own armbrought salvation.”

I believe God is moving and that His “own arm” will bring justice. But I will not disappoint Him. When He looks, he will see people willing to interceded. He will see me. He will see Natalie and Milissa and everyone who has stood with us… and His justice will roll like water (Amos 5).

Sincerely,

Kjersti Johnson