Shraders in Zambia - Welcome to Poisonwood, Stephen- Part 3

[thoughtful]

Wow, Thoughtful. Thanks for taking one for the team. I listened to the whole thing (and got a lot of overdue housework done at the same time) but completely lacked the intestinal fortitude to watch it properly. Let alone try to transcribe any of that rapid fire speech!

You're welcome. It was a tough job, but nobody had to do it. :D I was just in a masochistic mood, I guess.

The predictability factor helped -- after a while, I pretty much knew where he was going next. My Dad used to watch some of the TV grifter evangelists for the WTF factor, and I've certainly read or seen the type, whether preacher or snake oil salesman, in lots of books and films -- Elmer Gantry, The Miracle Woman, Leap of Faith, Marjoe, even Pirelli in Sweeney Todd -- the list is very long. John is like a living stereotype to me.

Are some of these guys sincere, or start out that way, or more deluded and carried away than slyly, purposefully lying? Sure. Human nature is fascinating, ain't it? :D

He's like an energizer bunny who scampers around starting things but can't follow through for various reasons. I've always thought that his frequent job changes are due to him getting into his bosses' faces in a rage and getting canned. Or because he simply gets a new enthusiasm.

Eh, I've said before, John reminds me of a family member who has a MH diagnosis. This video is John in an up-swing with elation, enthusiasm, and super high-energy. He has also worked very hard at perfecting the speech. He may even believe it is the absolute truth. So it may not be a total cynical "scam" per se. It's just that his volatile personality (or illness) combined with God/Bible and gullible audiences = the goose that laid the golden egg for John.

Yep -- I've lived with people like this. The Latest Greatest Project is the epiphany, the thing that must be pursued. Then it's dumped for the next Great Project. In the meantime, the responsibilities of daily life are left to others.

And they are generally sincere -- they've got themselves convinced, and flap around trying to convince others. They are unfailingly nice, highly energetic, and very talkative when pushing the fabulous golden idea that everyone must agree with because it's just so perfect! No amount of disagreement, whether it includes logic, explaining how it might hurt someone else, or just "I'd rather do something different" will sway them.

But the people I've known who are like this, unlike John, happened to be childless, so the amount of damage they were doing was limited to adults -- those of us who had not yet caught on.

edited to add a word for clarity

[Jessica]

Regarding the comments on Esther's hair, she posted once on Facebook saying she uses hydrogen peroxide (correct me if I'm wrong!) to lighten her hair.

[Firiel]

Eh, I've said before, John reminds me of a family member who has a MH diagnosis. This video is John in an up-swing with elation, enthusiasm, and super high-energy. He has also worked very hard at perfecting the speech. He may even believe it is the absolute truth. So it may not be a total cynical "scam" per se. It's just that his volatile personality (or illness) combined with God/Bible and gullible audiences = the goose that laid the golden egg for John.

So, I've now Googled this, but when I first read "MH diagnosis," I'd never heard of it before and my mind immediately though, "Mars Hill diagnosis?!"

EDIT: Wait, I've discovered the incorrect MH. Off for more Goggling. :google-tactics:

[NotALoserLikeYou]

Tonight there is a new House Hunters International on HGTV and the couple moves to Zambia to "help provide farming outreach" if anyone is interested in seeing the country.

[formergothardite]

I wonder if the plane is one of those projects John got super excited about and now most likely will take a lot of work so he is over it. The plane was such a huge deal for a couple of months but now that he is in Zambia there hasn't been one mention of it, which is very odd, even if it was in a location far away from him.

I'm worried that John is running on an emotional high and will crash soon. He has made it to Zambia, he has all his toys, and now it is time for the hard work to start. He does not have a history of staying at a task for any amount of time. He has spent his adult years jumping from one thing to another. The deputation is the longest he is focused on one project and that was most likely because it involved him constantly traveling, getting to speak in front of people and getting lots of praise. The Zambians will probably tire of him quickly, especially since he seems to view himself as their savior, and what is he going to do when nobody wants to listen to him or his magical grifted accordion?

[Palimpsest]

So, I've now Googled this, but when I first read "MH diagnosis," I'd never heard of it before and my mind immediately though, "Mars Hill diagnosis?!"

EDIT: Wait, I've discovered the incorrect MH. Off for more Goggling. :google-tactics:

Sorry! :lol: Those abbreviations are a professional hazard.

Mental Health Diagnosis. Specifically Bipolar Disorder.

Armchair Dx, not that it's worth anything: John seems hypomanic to me most of the time - with intervals of possible mania. Then he'll break down rather spectacularly, self-flagellating, and weeping over something that seems fairly trivial. When he's up, he's too far up. When he's down, it's too far down. Just my opinion.

Within his specific Fundie culture, hypomania is probably interpreted as being a "visionary" man. :(

[Firiel]

Sorry! :lol: Those abbreviations are a professional hazard.

Mental Health Diagnosis. Specifically Bipolar Disorder.

Armchair Dx, not that it's worth anything: John seems hypomanic to me most of the time - with intervals of possible mania. Then he'll break down rather spectacularly, self-flagellating, and weeping over something that seems fairly trivial. When he's up, he's too far up. When he's down, it's too far down. Just my opinion.

Within his specific Fundie culture, hypomania is probably interpreted as being a "visionary" man. :(

Ah! Gotcha. Yeah, from what you said about an upswing, it sounded like you meant something like bipolar, but I couldn't find any potential typo combination to fit that theory! :)

[Palimpsest]

Can someone who still has access to Shrader's FB answer a question? When he wiped it and then made it private did he ever put the old posts back or did he just start again anew?

Yikes. In that October 2014 video Esther really does sound like Pricilla. I've never noticed that before. And John, quit using that chipmunk voice with children [and Africans] it is seriously annoying. It's also painfully obvious that the kids are over-rehearsed. Ugh.

John was originally planning to go to Kafulafuta in the Copperbelt. That is where Bobby Bonner's I AM Ministries had a base, preacher training institute, and a clinic. It's also where all those pictures and videos of thatched roof mud huts came from in John's fundraising materials. It seemed that John and Rea were looking to take over there, and I AM mentioned them in it's newsletter and said they were badly needed.

Why the sudden change to Kafue (or as John says Kaf-few-ee) last year? I want to know! No explanation from John, just that God was leading them to Kafue. Furthermore, I AM seems to have folded it's tents in Kafulafuta and no longer has a web presence for the Zambia mission that I can find. Bobby Bonner has returned to the US and Dennis Anderson, I AM co-founder, has moved to Botswana. It's unclear whether anyone took over in Kafulafuta.

I went back and found the first reference to the miracle 2nd hand plane. Bought sight unseen for 15K by a leg-humper when John had yet to start even learning to fly. Talk about nuts! Scroll down here to Buzzard's post to see the description in John's own words:

viewtopic.php?f=132&t=10779&start=820

So the plane has been rusting on the tarmac somewhere in Zambia since March 2013 and goodness knows when it was last flown.

[formergothardite]

$15,000 is a lot to spend on a plane that has seemed to be forgotten. That isn't counting the cost of John's flight lessons. I wonder if the person who bought it for him is starting to also ask "Where is the plane?"

[NoneandDoneinCali]

$15K would probably feed his family and entire small congregation for a year. $15K could get basic first aid and medical supplies for the village (not sure what the doctor situation is out there). %15K could go towards construction materials and some labor for a community center or needed repairs to that church building. I think this is what drives me nuts about most missionary trips (beyond the paternalistic, condescending tone of "YOU NEED MY WHITE WISDOM TO SAVE YOUR SOUUUULLL, YOU POOR LITTLE UNDERWATERED FLOWERS AMONGST THE WEEDS OF IGNORANCE!!). The money spent on countless Bibles/tracts/etc that will go unread and unheeded could go to actual, material goods and services needed by the community.

Money well spent!

[Full enough quiver]

I'm watching the house hunters episode right now and thinking of the Schraders. Zambia looks fairly civilized to me. So much for the wilds of Africa.

[Palimpsest]

Bringing this over from another thread as it is relevant here.

Palimpsest wrote:

I'm pissed with John Shrader right now because he used to be IFB but seems to have reinvented himself in the last month as a Biblical Historical Baptist. WTF is that? :roll:

formergothardite wrote:

Wait, John Shrader is a Biblical Historical Baptist?! No wonder he lost support from IFB churches. They usually only support IFB missionaries.

Palimpsest wrote:

It's a brand new thing on his latest video and could explain a lot. I could swear he used to call himself IFB, which is why I'm looking for the old FB posts he wiped.

formergothardite wrote:

Over to the side of his Team Zambia website there is a link for Global Independent Baptist Missions that doesn't appear to work. I don't know if it did originally or if the GIBM website has removed him. IFB are usually very strict about only supporting IFB missionaries because they believe that IFB churches are the only true churches that follow Christ.

teamzambia.com/

Palimpsest wrote:

Shrader is still listed on the GIBM site and they featured his prayer letter on the front page last month.

What is a Biblical Historical Baptist?

[formergothardite]

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John for real, looks like a crazy man in this video. And that bit at the end about how he crashed a guy's car and didn't have to fix it but fixed it anyway was just a humble brag.

[Palimpsest]

It's a style of preaching that leaves me completely cold, so I'm not the best judge. :lol:

Oh, and to be strictly accurate, it is "historic" Baptist not historical. This is what it says for the latest video published on Oct 17, 2014: Pleasure - Treasure - Measure.*

" A Missions Message by Bro. John Shrader, Biblical Historic Baptist Missionary to Zambia and beyond."

It does not appear on the earlier videos, but the "Team Zambia Productions" and that silly bolt of lightening are left intact.

So is this a smoking gun? :whistle:

* Now I come to think of it the title is another Freudian slip by John. His sermon actually goes in order of treasure, pleasure, measure. :P

[It'sFunToRun]

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John for real, looks like a crazy man in this video. And that bit at the end about how he crashed a guy's car and didn't have to fix it but fixed it anyway was just a humble brag.

The woman on the right's hair is awesome-pants. I would like that for my hair, but I bet it only works with hair of a certain type of texture.

[formergothardite]

It wasn't his preaching that I found disturbing, it was his body movements and over exaggerated facial expressions while singing. He appeared to be trying to out sing the Zambian man.

I have never heard of a Biblical Historic Baptist Missionary. This is a very strange move for him since he did all his fund raising in IFB churches.

[thoughtful]

Oh, and to be strictly accurate, it is "historic" Baptist not historical.

I can't resist the obvious joke -- in John's case, it is clearly Biblical Hysterical Baptist Missionary.

[formergothardite]

This is the Team Zambia presentation from the Rea family and at around 1:20 he says that they would be planting IFB churches in Zambia.

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[Palimpsest]

Yes. The way John interacts with nationals drives me up the wall. This is a good example: when he is speaking to Bro. Tito he uses exactly the same intonation, clipped words, exaggerated consonants, and squeaky encouraging voice as he does with Sophia (So- FEEE- ah!) So annoying that he feels he has to repeat and clarify all Bro. Tito's reading too.

I wonder what Justin actually thought of John and his preaching.

Perhaps you can be a Biblical Historic Missionary and IFB - Biblical Historic being a meaningless term? I'm disappointed if it isn't a smoking gun.

[Palimpsest]

Thanks for finding the Rea video Former Gothardite. I had watched it a while ago.

Yes, Rea is definitely claiming to be IFB and also implying that he and Shrader will be building on IAM's past work at Kafulafuta - much greater credibility than John church planting all alone in Kafue. That is one of the IAM missionaries (Sarro) but IIRC that guy was active in Tanzania.

The IAM site has been taken down completely, but it used to be iamministries.info if anyone is skilled at tracking stuff down on the web.

As I said, the whole thing is odd to me including the complete disappearance of the IAM site. I also get the distinct feeling that David and John have parted ways, but my Spidey senses may be off.

[formergothardite]

I have a feeling that John and David have had a falling out too. On the Team Zambia site they say this:

In December of 2011 God called both of our families (the Reas and the Shraders) to the field of Zambia. As pastors we became close friends over a 5 year period as we served in the Northwest US. In the Bible Jesus sent them out in teams. Paul took a team of men on his missionary journeys

This implies that they would be going as a team, and clearly that has not happened. Something is odd about this whole situation.

[Palimpsest]

David Rea may have changed his mind about the wisdom of teaming up with John after Burundi. There was also an indication a while back that David tore John a new one reproached John at some point. It was on John's public FB, IIRC, and I'll see if I can find it on the archived threads.

David-Cheri Rea's FB is still private, but oooh, look! David Rea has joined twitter although he hasn't tweeted yet. He can't spell Africa consistently - or his wife's name!

David Rea

@teamzambia1

David and Cherri Rea, Ind. Baptist missionaries to Zambia, Sub-Saharan Africa. We have dedicated our life to bringing the Gospel of Jesus Christ to AFIRCA!

[halfheartedheroine]

The woman on the right's hair is awesome-pants. I would like that for my hair, but I bet it only works with hair of a certain type of texture.

Seconded-- I'm a sucker for unique braid-styles, and hers looks lovely!

[Trynn]

Sometimes I wish I had hair that texture because of the awesome things you can do with it. And because that this of hair stays where you out it, unlike mine.

[It'sFunToRun]

I'm watching the house hunters episode right now and thinking of the Schraders. Zambia looks fairly civilized to me. So much for the wilds of Africa.

Zambia may have been civilized, but now John is there with his unvaccinated children, his wife who doesn't use birth control, who has little to no prenatal care, his whole family is illiterate in the native language, his kids don't go to school and just run around killing rats all day, he has no job except for begging, and worst of all practices Patriarchy.

Lol, you Americans should thank Zambia for taking him from you!