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

[nelliebelle1197]

And if it really was doctrinal, then some of the supporting churches might share that doctrine.

[ILoveJellybeans]

Holy crap! That 9 year old (I think her first name is Rea) writes amazingly well. No, she is not a member of the Rea "Missionaries to Zambia" family. Nice find though.

Woah, shes nine? She writes better than a lot of fundie bloggers.

Someone employ this kid as Sarah Maxwell's editor.

[Palimpsest]

I thought John had mentioned losing some support a couple months after he arrived in Zambia? Am I misremembering? I thought he then praised God because a non-American church took him on.

I think that there is probably a lot going on that we don't know about and IFB may be independent, but they do talk to each other. He got dropped by his sending church which is a hug deal. Any church that wasn't worried about John probably is now and they probably are starting to ask questions. He also got dropped from Team Zambia, which doesn't look good for him. Churches might honor their commitments to him just because they feel like they have to, but I bet when the time comes, he is not going to have a lot of churches that want to continue supporting him.

Thank you and, no, you didn't misremember. You have an excellent memory. :D

I found the August newsletter back on page 2 of this thread. John announced that they had lost "substantial support last month, [but] we began receiving support from Chinese believers at a new Baptist church plant in China at the same time!" John's talent for spinning bad news and conning believers out of money is just mind-boggling.

I really do hope the supporting churches smell a rat with the change in his sending church and stop funding him.

[formergothardite]

When did John arrive in Zambia? Because losing substantial support in August implies that whatever happened between him and the churches seemed to have happened shortly after he arrived in Zambia.

John has no shame at all when it comes to taking money. He is taking money from a new church in China!

[Palimpsest]

They left the US on June 8th, 2014. John says "last month" in the August newsletter so they lost the support in July. So it took him less than 7 weeks in Zambia to piss off a significant number of donors, or perhaps a few large donors. Perhaps that impulse buy of the invisible/non-existent/not flight worthy plane came back to bite him in the rear.

Yes, taking money from another newly started mission is quite unconscionable.

[apple1]

Even though John definitely is a "not a job person" - I figure he can always be a (stereotypical) used car salesman (at least on and off).

Aside: Every "fallen" (mostly translate had-an-extramarital-affair) preacher I have known IRL has gone the used car salesman route. (really)

[formergothardite]

Even though John definitely is a "not a job person" - I figure he can always be a (stereotypical) used car salesman (at least on and off).

Aside: Every "fallen" (mostly translate had-an-extramarital-affair) preacher I have known IRL has gone the used car salesman route. (really)

He has already tried his hand at selling cars and apparently wasn't great at it. Free Jinger saved his tweets fro 2011 about his time selling cars.

asks for prayer, work not going so hot. Appreciate it. The music they play...obstinato, as almost every form of modern music is, including most so-called "christian" music. 'Bout to drive me insane

God is giving me chances to speak for Him...that's a blessing. Just not selling many cars

And then he quit. :lol:

[Palimpsest]

Woah, shes nine? She writes better than a lot of fundie bloggers.

Someone employ this kid as Sarah Maxwell's editor.

Steve would never allow 9 year old Rea anywhere near Sarah. Rea writes beautifully and descriptively, is aware of current events in Zambia and their political implications, and compares and contrasts Zambia with life in Manchester (UK). She loves puppies, insects and frogs but shows appropriate caution around snakes and scorpions (take note, John Shrader).

She also fails to honor her father properly and her Dad is a victim of the demon alcohol. She actually teases Dad about drinking beer labeled "Fat Bastard." Oh, and she goes to a real school and plays netball -- such an evil team sport. She is not fit company for Sarah Maxwell at all!

Yes, I read the whole thing. Young Rea is a very interesting character and the blog is fantastic. I hope she keeps updating it. :)

[Palimpsest]

John gave his employment history when he had a fairly epic rant on Pickles and Hairspray. He conveniently left out the few months a used car salesman and I think greatly exaggerates his teaching experience. The timelines are iffy too.

We are moving as a family to live in Africa as missionaries. Before that I pastored for ten years. I worked a secular job alongside my pastoring all ten years. I have owned my own successful lawn care business for over six years, been a licensed Real Estate agent in two states, worked in a custom cabinet building shop and on a home building construction crew. I have bought my own clothes and shoes since age ten. I have been approved and worked in many school districts as a substitute teacher in Washington State and have letters of recommendation from Principles and School Administrators. I have an earned Masters Degree. I have traveled to MexIco, Peru, Russia, and Japan. Because I do not believe in organized religion, I do not belong to a denomination. We are independent. We have traveled from church to church over the past year, and those that freely choose to partner with us join our effort.

[Trynn]

From age ten? What kind of parent expects their ten year old to buy their own clothes?

[formergothardite]

He left out his window washing job too. When Free Jinger first found him that is what he was listing as his occupation.

[Palimpsest]

When you have had - and quit or been fired from - as many jobs as John it must be hard to keep them all straight. Especially when you are in the throes of a temper tantrum on Pickles and Hairspray.

John is no duck biologist like Geoff Botkin but he pads his resume in a like fashion.

Perhaps we should give him a hand with his resume as he may need it soon. He will need to add the dates and more specifics himself.

Education:

Home school and Masters from unaccredited Bible College

Experience:

- 6 years experience lawn care (probably he means that he started mowing the parental lawn when he was 10 years old)

- 10 years experience Pastor (of several store front churches)

- licensed Real Estate agent (I wonder if he ever sold any houses)

- custom cabinet builder

- home building construction crew (he probably hammered a nail or two in his house in the Dalles)

- substitute teacher (perhaps teaching Character First before he left ATI?)

- window washer

- car sales

The last couple of years are really easy to beef up.

- musician (keyboard and magical accordion)

- 2 years primary responsibility fundraising for Mission field # of $$ raised (Deputation)

- 8 months missionary in Zambia (converting people from Christianity to another kind of Christianity)

- licensed pilot (with a disappearing plane)

- animal control officer (2 hours chasing domesticated pig in missionary boot camp. Slaughtering rats, snakes and scorpions in Zambia)

- linguist and mimic (faking a Zambian accent)

Special Skills:

Procreating, grifting and whining.

and so on.

[Joan of Snarc]

^ That's still more than XGG has ever done!

:lol:

[IReallyAmHopewell]

He left out his window washing job too. When Free Jinger first found him that is what he was listing as his occupation.

Window washing, tree service, janitorial service--those are all "family" businesses encouraged by Gothard's organization. There are others. I imagine he went down the "family business" trail at some point, but couldn't earn a living at it since it requires hard work and commitment to being available just about 24/7/365 to make $$.

[apple1]

He has already tried his hand at selling cars and apparently wasn't great at it. Free Jinger saved his tweets fro 2011 about his time selling cars.

asks for prayer, work not going so hot. Appreciate it. The music they play...obstinato, as almost every form of modern music is, including most so-called "christian" music. 'Bout to drive me insane

God is giving me chances to speak for Him...that's a blessing. Just not selling many cars

And then he quit. :lol:

Oh well. What a loser.

[nausicaa]

Even before the deputation, how on earth did he support his large family and SAHW? Substitute teacher and lawn mower are the sorts of jobs taken by new college grads getting by in their tiny studio apartments or by people who want to supplement the family income. I don't know many fathers supporting even a small family with those types of positions.

[PrairieGirl]

^ That's still more than XGG has ever done!

:lol:

XGG spent years having ebil gay sex with men. So many men. Oh, so much gay sex. Gay sex with men. Lots of men. Lots of gay sex. So much of it. Then Jesus. Freedom.

But first there was the gay sex. Always the gay sex.

[Gobsmacked]

Who is XGG?

[Milly-Molly-Mandy]

Neither XGG or John are JOB TYPE PEOPLE but John is the one with the huge family he should support.

I think I gave him a year in Zambia, will be interesting to see if his dad's church can support him.

Isn't he lucky having his dad to support his family (as per usual for John)

Apple1, agree he is a loser. Can't keep a job. Can't be a success as a missionary. Can't support his huge family.

[klavierspieler]

Losing supporting churches wasn't necessarily common, but wasn't necessarily uncommon either. Particularly during a recession period, it wasn't unheard of for a church to commit to take a missionary on and then unexpectedly lose the funds they thought they would have and not be able to shoulder the support. Generalizing from the missionaries I knew that were sent from our church, I'd say most planned on having it happen at least once during their deputation/mission service, maybe even a couple of times if they'd been on the field a long time, but the bulk of supporting churches tried very very hard to honor their commitments until time was up and then vote again on re-upping if there was something they were concerned about (with a very few exceptions).

Losing your sending church though? I only know of one missionary couple that that ever happened to, and that was because the church lost too many members and the whole church closed. Losing your sending church is unheard of. It may have been financial issues, but honestly that letter SCREAMS doctrinal differences to me. And if it's doctrinal differences, I would except some more supporting churches to wind up dropping him too (see aforementioned "very few exceptions"- IFB fundies are usually pretty fucking serious about their missionaries kowtowing to all their favorite doctrines).

[Palimpsest]

XXG = ExGay Greg and DeDe Haislip. There are many threads here about them. Have fun, but let us know if you fall down that rabbit hole. We'll need some warning to ready the FJ rescue ferrets.

In brief and from memory only: He prayed the gay away and married Dede. They had a spectacularly drifting grifting "ministry" and conned money out of people. She had the longest ever faux pregnancy known to humankind. And endangered the life of her child from a former relationship. Frightening stuff.

[Justme]

Even before the deputation, how on earth did he support his large family and SAHW? Substitute teacher and lawn mower are the sorts of jobs taken by new college grads getting by in their tiny studio apartments or by people who want to supplement the family income. I don't know many fathers supporting even a small family with those types of positions.

I don't think he did. If I remember correctly, his family paid off a large number of their bills.

[Gobsmacked]

Thank you Palimpsest .

I am going to arm myself with a nice cold white wine and dive! :lol:

[Palimpsest]

Losing supporting churches wasn't necessarily common, but wasn't necessarily uncommon either. Particularly during a recession period, it wasn't unheard of for a church to commit to take a missionary on and then unexpectedly lose the funds they thought they would have and not be able to shoulder the support. Generalizing from the missionaries I knew that were sent from our church, I'd say most planned on having it happen at least once during their deputation/mission service, maybe even a couple of times if they'd been on the field a long time, but the bulk of supporting churches tried very very hard to honor their commitments until time was up and then vote again on re-upping if there was something they were concerned about (with a very few exceptions).

Losing your sending church though? I only know of one missionary couple that that ever happened to, and that was because the church lost too many members and the whole church closed. Losing your sending church is unheard of. It may have been financial issues, but honestly that letter SCREAMS doctrinal differences to me. And if it's doctrinal differences, I would except some more supporting churches to wind up dropping him too (see aforementioned "very few exceptions"- IFB fundies are usually pretty fucking serious about their missionaries kowtowing to all their favorite doctrines).

Thank you. I think the only missionary we have discussed here who was disciplined (and hauled back fast from his mission to Mexico) by his sending church is Daniel Lockwood. They have never disclosed his actual sin but it must have been a big one.

Can you, FormerGothardite or anyone else with an IFB background make any sense of John's rambling doctrinal clarification in that context?

[formergothardite]

I was reading this letter again and that he had to find a new church because the church was concerned about the responsibility of sending two families makes no sense. They were always planning on sending two families, it is just now that they families are not working together. But if they could send two families when they were a team they should be able to send two families when they aren't a team.

I have never heard of "lordship salvation". But since he brought it up he was either accused of believing in it or he accused churches of believing in it.