Burden to Burundi, Zealous for Zambia

[Curious]

John is taking the written exam for his pilot's license tomorrow afternoon. It is one of the major obstacles to leaving for Zambia in SIX WEEKS, so he covets your prayers!

This is the second time recently that a fundie has said something like this "coveting your prayers" or something similar. I thought the bible said coveting was a bad thing. I've never read where the use of the word covet is used with a good connotation, so the use of it in the phrase "covet your prayers" confuses me. :?

[Justme]

This is the second time recently that a fundie has said something like this "coveting your prayers" or something similar. I thought the bible said coveting was a bad thing. I've never read where the use of the word covet is used with a good connotation, so the use of it in the phrase "covet your prayers" confuses me. :?

The Maxwell's "covet" prayers all the time when they "travel"......

[thoughtful]

The Maxwell's "covet" prayers all the time when they "travel"......

Well, since prayers are not wives, servants, oxen, donkeys, or something that belongs to someone, I guess it's OK! :D

And it sounds so King-Jamesy, y'know.

[Trynn]

Alright John, I'll give you my prayers. I don't believe in God, but here's hoping he'll hear me anyway. Clears throat.

Dear God, Jesus, the holy spirit, and any other divine being who might be listening,

John Shrader is trying to take his very pregnant wife Esther and their 8 1/2 children to Zambia to go convert Heathens to a cult.

God, those children are living in horrid poverty. They spent the winter in a church because they had nowhere else to live, because John won't support himself with a real job. His kids are not vaccinated and his wife could get sick with the baby.

Please God, move with a mighty hand to block the workings of the visas. send the Holy Spirit to be with John as he takes his test Lord, and please remove all the answers from his mind.

I'm afraid that if you don't stop this Lord, he might kill someone, especially those kids. Please God, spare the children. Please don't let John make it to Zambia.

And please tell those churches to stop supporting this madness already.

In Jesus' name,

Amen

[gustava]

I thought that he'd already passed his written (ground school) test. I just read the FAA FAQ's, and it seems that they require a Knowledge Test (aka ground school) and the flight proficiency. Does anyone know why he seems to be taking another written test?

[Lillybee]

Trynn, my secular humanistic self will be joining in your prayers. If God really cared for these children, He would find a way to stop the insanity.

[scc12]

God says not to test Him,so if you're going to such a country unprotected from disease,you are definitely testing God! Use the common sense the good Lord gave you.THAT is what He says to do.

Better yet,realize that God has blessed you and your children with being born in the US,and imo that means He wants you to stay there.

[SPHASH]

Alright John, I'll give you my prayers. I don't believe in God, but here's hoping he'll hear me anyway. Clears throat.

Dear God, Jesus, the holy spirit, and any other divine being who might be listening,

John Shrader is trying to take his very pregnant wife Esther and their 8 1/2 children to Zambia to go convert Heathens to a cult.

God, those children are living in horrid poverty. They spent the winter in a church because they had nowhere else to live, because John won't support himself with a real job. His kids are not vaccinated and his wife could get sick with the baby.

Please God, move with a mighty hand to block the workings of the visas. send the Holy Spirit to be with John as he takes his test Lord, and please remove all the answers from his mind.

I'm afraid that if you don't stop this Lord, he might kill someone, especially those kids. Please God, spare the children. Please don't let John make it to Zambia.

And please tell those churches to stop supporting this madness already.

In Jesus' name,

Amen

Couldn't have said it better myself!

[DarkAnts]

I hope John gets a visa but Esther and the children do not. John can do what he thinks he "needs" to do without endangering the lives of his wife and children.

[ILoveJellybeans]

I hope John gets a visa but Esther and the children do not. John can do what he thinks he "needs" to do without endangering the lives of his wife and children.

I honestly think Esther would be better off if John went off to fulfil his selfish fantasies and left her behind.

As long as someone was looking out for her enough to help her get a house and make sure she has enough money to feed her family and give them medical care, cause its not going to be easy when you haven't got much education, no house, never had a job before and have to find something that is good enough to support 9 kids on your own.

I bet if John went off without her he wouldn't send any of the money he is sent by churches to Esther and the kids, because to him buying a plane is more important than making sure his family have a house.

[ThisOlGirl]

I honestly think Esther would be better off if John went off to fulfil his selfish fantasies and left her behind.

As long as someone was looking out for her enough to help her get a house and make sure she has enough money to feed her family and give them medical care, cause its not going to be easy when you haven't got much education, no house, never had a job before and have to find something that is good enough to support 9 kids on your own.

I bet if John went off without her he wouldn't send any of the money he is sent by churches to Esther and the kids, because to him buying a plane is more important than making sure his family have a house.

Up until the purchase of all of the plane tickets, I wondered if this whole missionary thing was just John's way of leaving his wife and kids. In the non-fundie world a guy like John wouldn't even bother with an excuse, he'd just leave. But, this is fundie land, so he has to have something laid upon his heart and all that jazz so he doesn't look like the bum that he is.

If John does go by himself, I wonder if Esther and the kids would go live with her parents? There's at least that I guess.

[Burpies]

Up until the purchase of all of the plane tickets, I wondered if this whole missionary thing was just John's way of leaving his wife and kids. In the non-fundie world a guy like John wouldn't even bother with an excuse, he'd just leave. But, this is fundie land, so he has to have something laid upon his heart and all that jazz so he doesn't look like the bum that he is.

If John does go by himself, I wonder if Esther and the kids would go live with her parents? There's at least that I guess.

I wondered that too. Since no one in the family has the costly vaccinations needed to travel to Zambia, maybe that is still in his plan. 'Sorry honey, I could only raise the funds for me to get the vaccinations. Don't worry, I'll get my vaccinations and go over and check everything out, then when I've got everything together, I'll totes call you and the kids over.'

Or, he may be trying to get everyone over b/c people will be more willing to fork over the cash to help the kids, more so than they would for only him.

[thoughtful]

He is so self-centered that I could see it going either way. His dumping the family he claims to love might be in character.

But they are also his little kingdom, his worshippers, and his trophies to show the world what a good Christian he is. So shlepping them along might be the bigger ego-feed and chance for future income.

[SPHASH]

Why not send the Pecan Thieves to Zambia instead? Fewer kids, plus they love to travel. And John can work at IBLP and support his family.

[formergothardite]

Why not send the Pecan Thieves to Zambia instead? Fewer kids, plus they love to travel. And John can work at IBLP and support his family.

John is very anti-Gothard. Probably because he likes to be the ruler and ATI already has Gothard.

[Justme]

John would never leave his woman. He's got to show how macho he is by impregnating her every year!

[Milly-Molly-Mandy]

I think being a missionary is Johns way of going from a average working class male with no real authority (except over family) & very little money. Struggling to make ends meet. Now he is a MISSIONARY who people admire (my hero!), give money too and has been a way for him to be considered a much more special & godly person.

Maybe i am wrong but that's why I think he became one.

Pity he dragged his family along with him :(

[nausicaa]

I think being a missionary is Johns way of going from a average working class male with no real authority (except over family) & very little money. Struggling to make ends meet. Now he is a MISSIONARY who people admire (my hero!), give money too and has been a way for him to be considered a much more special & godly person.

Maybe i am wrong but that's why I think he became one.

Pity he dragged his family along with him :(

I think you've summed up the appeal of fundamentalist Christianity for a lot of the men who subscribe to it.

You can be a guy who never succeeded socially, academically, or atheltically, doesn't make much money or have any accomplishments, and all you have to do is give yourself over to God (the right God and the right denomination) and BAM! Instantly you are smarter and stronger than 52% of the population, not to mention so much more right than all of the misled "other" denominations who go it oh so wrong.

[Palimpsest]

I think you've summed up the appeal of fundamentalist Christianity for a lot of the men who subscribe to it.

You can be a guy who never succeeded socially, academically, or atheltically, doesn't make much money or have any accomplishments, and all you have to do is give yourself over to God (the right God and the right denomination) and BAM! Instantly you are smarter and stronger than 52% of the population, not to mention so much more right than all of the misled "other" denominations who go it oh so wrong.

Yes, to the above theories.

People like John will never become more than a marginal part-time pastor of a store-front IFB church in the USA. A tiny little fish in a muddy little puddle. By becoming a "Missionary" he expects adulation both from leg-humpers at home, and from the people in Zambia. He turns them into objects by calling them "fields for harvesting."

John expects to become a Really Big Fish in a lake as big as Lake Tanganyika. In his egotistical mind, his "whiteness" and "true knowledge" of Jesus instantly transforms him into a person who is smarter and stronger than 99.999% of the population of Zambia.

Asshole!

[Palimpsest]

I wondered that too. Since no one in the family has the costly vaccinations needed to travel to Zambia, maybe that is still in his plan. 'Sorry honey, I could only raise the funds for me to get the vaccinations. Don't worry, I'll get my vaccinations and go over and check everything out, then when I've got everything together, I'll totes call you and the kids over.'

Or, he may be trying to get everyone over b/c people will be more willing to fork over the cash to help the kids, more so than they would for only him.

I don't think John leaving Esther and the kids behind in the USA would play well with the supporting churches. But what do I know?

In typical irresponsible cart before horse fashion, John seemed to ignore the need for vax until the last minute. I'm sure he is only getting them now because he found he couldn't get visas or insurance without them.

As it does seem that John is about to drag the whole family to Zambia, I really hope he has raised the money for the immunizations. I hope the poor little sprogs are all nursing sore arms and bottoms after being turned into human pin-cushions over the last few weeks because at least it means they will be safer when they get to Kafue.

[Justme]

Is he actually getting vac's for the kids it just one for yellow fever?

Some need to be administered in a series, usually weeks or months apart.

[Palimpsest]

Is he actually getting vac's for the kids it just one for yellow fever?

Some need to be administered in a series, usually weeks or months apart.

He's wiped it off FB now, but IIRC he was whining and grifting about the cost for a full series of all relevant tropical shots, specifically including rabies, in his February Newsletter. He was wondering whether it would be cheaper to wait and get the family vaccinated in Zambia. :roll:

We commented then about it because it was classic Shrader to: a) take advantage of meds/immunizations intended for Zambians, b) leave your children at risk in Zambia for weeks until they had completed the full courses of vax, and c) this was the first time he brought up immunizations -- he'd refused to answer direct questions about them before.

To be absolutely fair to John (although it kills me to do that :lol: ) we are pretty much assuming that the kids didn't have the regular childhood vax. He's never mentioned vax or even pediatrician visits for the babies, so our educated speculation puts him in the same box as most Fundies of his type. They all generally tend to resist vax.

[formergothardite]

I would think the constantly moving around in a pop-up would also put a damper on going to the regular doctor visits where most children get vaccinated. It is possible that the kids are fully vaxed, go to their yearly well check-ups and have great dental care, but this is the guy who dangled a fan from the roof of their van with it hanging directly in front of a child, so I just don't see his children's health and safety being a big priority to him.

I am really curios as to why he is keeping quiet this long. Usually he would go private and then quickly go public after wiping things from his FB. I wonder if he is worried that they aren't going to be allowed into Zambia and he is trying to make his humiliation as private as possible.

[Justme]

Yup, remember this is the guy who posted that he "expected" to loose one or two (kids)...

Sidebar- the associated press has written 2 of the kidnapped schoolgirls have died on snakebite an 20 more are ill. Poor babies.

[Trynn]

Yup, remember this is the guy who posted that he "expected" to loose one or two (kids)...

Sidebar- the associated press has written 2 of the kidnapped schoolgirls have died on snakebite an 20 more are ill. Poor babies.

It's really horrible, but I'm worried that those who died quickly (I'm not sure if death by Snake is quick or not, but you all know what I mean) might be the lucky ones. :? :cry: