The Schraders are in the Ozarks

[happy atheist]

Here is Part 1: viewtopic.php?f=8&t=10779

Anna (Keller) Duggar's sister Esther and her deadbeat preacher husband have 8 kids, live in a pop-up camper, and are trying to raise enough money to be missionaries in Zambia, which is already a Christian nation.

And: Go!

[Dysfundamental]

More on the plane (cue Herve Villechaize, "Ze plaaaaaaaane, ze plaaaaaaane").

Shrader is a new pilot (will be a new pilot when he gets to Zambia).

He bought the plane sight unseen.

In Zambia. Where I cannot imagine there is a super-solid infrastructure to support regular inspections for private aircraft, just based on what little I know about the country's economics.

New pilot. Plane bought sight unseen. In a developing nation.

I mean, his whole idea of flying around rural Zambia giving people Bibles* is ridiculous to begin with, but this is shockingly reckless IMO. Especially for someone with eight kids.

*95% of Zambians are Christians, remember.

[Chicken bones]

Why Zambia anyway? Nearly half the population is urban, close to 90% are Christian, and there are a lot of evangelical denominations there ( it's not like is all Catholic or something). It's all just so bizarre.

[NotALoserLikeYou]

How did he end up picking Zambia? Are there already missionaries there he will join or are they starting fresh?

Has he ever responded to anyone who questioned why a Christian nation? That's pretty weird

[miffy]

Its because God told him too. DUH! :lol:

Sometimes God lays it upon people to make excellent property investment choices (Jim Bob) & sometimes God tells people to do pointless things (this Shrader fool). Its never of their own volition.

[lagenialester]

Why Zambia anyway? Nearly half the population is urban, close to 90% are Christian, and there are a lot of evangelical denominations there ( it's not like is all Catholic or something). It's all just so bizarre.

When I lived in Cameroon almost all of the other Americans I met were missionaries of some sort. Usually they were evangelicals. I tried to explain to them that as a Jew, I was probably the one person they really should have been targeting because Cameroon (especially in the capital city where we were) is nearly all Christian and they have their own crazy evangelists to deal with. People think "Africa is poor! Must be full of heathens!" But most of these countries were at some point colonized by western Christian nations and a significant portion of the population kept those religious beliefs.

They would do better off as missionaries in New York City, but it doesn't sound "brave and selfless" enough. (I should point out that there were hardly any missionaries when I lived in Senegal, a country that is 97% Muslim. That's too scary.)

[Trynn]

My friend went as a missionary to Zambia. The country may be mostly Christian, but they really needed the medical care my nurse friend was providing. So, even though I don't have an objection to mission trips to Christian nations in general (if they are providing needed services), It does seem odd to go to a Christian nation to try to convert it to... Christianity.

[slickcat79]

Shrader is a new pilot (will be a new pilot when he gets to Zambia).

Cannot stress enough how new of a pilot this guy is. He's looking at completing about 50 hours of flight time for training. That's less than the average for a private pilot's license in the US, and people trying to fly in harsher or less developed terrain (like bush pilots) will usually log 1000-1500 hours flight time. I really think it would be in his best interest if the "plane" in Zambia is a complete scam or is otherwise nonfunctional.

Seriously cannot believe this asshat was saving $1500 to buy a private plane when his kids don't even know where their next meal is coming from half the time.

[pudding]

Isn't that the same story Esther is familiar with? Doesn't Esther too have 7 siblings and they were living in a trailer? (and still do?) but I have now idea how much time between those siblings were..so probably I'm just talking shit and they moved out pretty early, making space for more kids

[Buzzard]

My friend went as a missionary to Zambia. The country may be mostly Christian, but they really needed the medical care my nurse friend was providing. So, even though I don't have an objection to mission trips to Christian nations in general (if they are providing needed services), It does seem odd to go to a Christian nation to try to convert it to... Christianity.

They may be christian but theyre the WRONG christian!

[happy atheist]

Isn't that the same story Esther is familiar with? Doesn't Esther too have 7 siblings and they were living in a trailer? (and still do?) but I have now idea how much time between those siblings were..so probably I'm just talking shit and they moved out pretty early, making space for more kids

There's a big difference between a trailer and a pop-up camper.

[Guest]

There's a big difference between a trailer and a pop-up camper.

Also, their trailer is on a large piece of land that includes a tennis court, pool, and other things. Also, their home was stationary and they were not constantly travelling the country without a "home base." As far as the spacing of the Keller kids, there are 8, with Esther being the eldest in her early thirties and the youngest being a teenager, I want to say around 16, so Esther probably got married and moved out when the youngest was a very young child. Plus Esther is capable of reaching 15-16 if she keeps this pace up.

ETA: Happy Athiest- I love the title of this thread :)

[happy atheist]

ETA: Happy Athiest- I love the title of this thread :)

I've been trying to have fun with them while at the same time filling them with relevant keywords. It's a delicate balance.

[revengeforwanda]

When I lived in Cameroon almost all of the other Americans I met were missionaries of some sort. Usually they were evangelicals. I tried to explain to them that as a Jew, I was probably the one person they really should have been targeting because Cameroon (especially in the capital city where we were) is nearly all Christian and they have their own crazy evangelists to deal with. People think "Africa is poor! Must be full of heathens!" But most of these countries were at some point colonized by western Christian nations and a significant portion of the population kept those religious beliefs.

They would do better off as missionaries in New York City, but it doesn't sound "brave and selfless" enough. (I should point out that there were hardly any missionaries when I lived in Senegal, a country that is 97% Muslim. That's too scary.)

QFt :clap:

[freethemall]

They may be christian but theyre the WRONG christian!

EXACTLY. Anyone remember that time the Duggars were somewhere in South America and apparently trying to get into some Catholic orphanage or something and they wouldn't let them in, with cousin Amy posting on her Facebook how mean they were not letting them in to proselytize? I'm sure in their minds it's not enough to get people to accept Jesus, they can still be heathens.

[chickie]

EXACTLY. Anyone remember that time the Duggars were somewhere in South America and apparently trying to get into some Catholic orphanage or something and they wouldn't let them in, with cousin Amy posting on her Facebook how mean they were not letting them in to proselytize? I'm sure in their minds it's not enough to get people to accept Jesus, they can still be heathens.

I don't recall the denomination of the orphanage, but I do recall that it was an orphanage for children that were HIV-positive. If it wasn't exclusively HIV children, there were certainly a large number of them. When the Duggars arrived with the film crew, the orphanage had moved the HIV children to a different location to keep them from being exploited. Honestly, I think the orphanage acted in the children's best interest. It's not like the Duggars were going to advocate adoption of these children. The children were most likely going to end up as fodder for the show. Why get these children's hopes up of being adopted only to let them down?

[yewchapel]

EXACTLY. Anyone remember that time the Duggars were somewhere in South America and apparently trying to get into some Catholic orphanage or something and they wouldn't let them in, with cousin Amy posting on her Facebook how mean they were not letting them in to proselytize? I'm sure in their minds it's not enough to get people to accept Jesus, they can still be heathens.

But that's the weird thing - there's plenty of evangelicals in Zambia.

[chickie]

But that's the weird thing - there's plenty of evangelicals in Zambia.

Maybe he's just lazy and is doing the whole "missionary" thing as a ploy to stay unemployed and do whatever he feels like doing. If the majority of the population is already Christian, I can't imagine there being too many people to recruit, which means less work for him. It looks like he's doing great things back home (I bet most people they're in contact with in the US don't know that he's going to a Christian country) and he can sucker more people from their home base to pay to support his family.

[DarkAnts]

There are lots of mormons in Utah but the LDS church still sends missionaries there. Its the hardest mission because everyone is either mormon or has a strong opinion about the church. Many of the missionaries there either work at the temple (ie the women) or do lots of community service.

Perhaps he has a different sort of mission in mind instead of converting.

[whatsthesitch]

This situation never fails to make me cranky. What exactly does John think he has to offer Zambia, anyway? Too many dirty windows in Africa?

[AVENues]

I would love to spend a year in Africa and teach kids and secretly liberate kids from the brainwashing. It's much easier to do where there's internet, I'm curious what could I do for them in a country with MUCH less comfort and less or no access to the Internet.

[lagenialester]

You should really check out local organizations and see if you have any qualifications to help them out. In Cameroon, where there is a lot of violence against women and children, I worked with a local organization on sensitizing kids to what constituted abuse and how to get help.We went to schools and did art projects with them with certain themes and hosted events in collaboration with similar groups in the region. We also worked with women who had been victims of abuse, and the abusers themselves so that they could learn about the line between cultural practice and human rights.

Part of the problem that I have with missionaries is that, aside from "witnessing", they also usually come in working with an American or other western organization instead of giving support to the struggling local groups. You should definitely research the country you want to go to (Africa is huge and so diverse! Account for language, weather, climate, specific history you're interested in...etc) and then get in touch with a couple of local organizations that appeal to your interests and work experiences.

(Sorry, I work in non-profit management and international relations. Haha)

[slickcat79]

facebook.com/john.shrader.125

I pulled the FB link from the previous thread, so I'm assuming it still works-can't access right now. The donations are pouring in! According to John, some random just gave $10K for him to buy bibles for the people of Zambia, plus another vehicle and assorted other shit. Questions about whether or not the money might be spent to build homes, schools, or wells may lead to deletion and de-friending.

Wonder if the IRS is aware of all this?

[Dysfundamental]

There are lots of mormons in Utah but the LDS church still sends missionaries there. Its the hardest mission because everyone is either mormon or has a strong opinion about the church. Many of the missionaries there either work at the temple (ie the women) or do lots of community service.

Perhaps he has a different sort of mission in mind instead of converting.

He's going to give people Bibles and encourage them to be saved. That's his mission as he describes it.

[gustava]

Granted, Christianity might be the dominant religion in Zambia, but John will want to make sure they're the right kind of Christian....his kind! Heaven forfend if someone is Catholic, Adventist, or gasp, even Presbyterian.

However, he will most definitely appreciate their quiverfull leanings. According to the Guardian/UK, the country's population is projected to increase 941% by the end of the century – the highest growth rate in Africa.

Crummy b*stard. :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: