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

[Miggy]

I could see one white child in the audience (Shrader boy 2 possibly - is that Timothy?) and Enoch was filming. The rest of the crowd are locals by the look of it.

The music is painful! It could be improved significantly if John wasn't playing and the people were just left to sing.

[formergothardite]

Too bad John couldn't grift the ability to play the accordion well. :? Do the people speak English because it was strange how he went from singing a song in another language to asking them a question in English. I wonder how many people would have shown up if he wasn't having a meal?

[Ellimenopy]

Is that counting Esther and the kids (and John, himself?). So they had 14?

I wonder if John realizes that "Food for Jesus" is not really a compliment for Jesus?

[Savoring Samsara]

Okay, if I can be pedantic for a minute, the new title of this thread is driving me up a wall. In the book it's referring to (The Poisonwood Bible), Poisonwood isn't a place name the way that he title makes it seem. Instead it's a reference to how the Shrader-sequel missionary father character keeps saying something in the local language that he thinks means "Jesus is precious," but he mispronounces it and his children realize he is actually saying "Jesus is made of the Poisonwood tree." I am really sorry but I had to get that off my chest! Carry on with this excellent thread. :D

[Curious]

Okay, if I can be pedantic for a minute, the new title of this thread is driving me up a wall. In the book it's referring to (The Poisonwood Bible), Poisonwood isn't a place name the way that he title makes it seem. Instead it's a reference to how the Shrader-sequel missionary father character keeps saying something in the local language that he thinks means "Jesus is precious," but he mispronounces it and his children realize he is actually saying "Jesus is made of the Poisonwood tree." I am really sorry but I had to get that off my chest! Carry on with this excellent thread. :D

I know it's not perfect, but we only have so many characters for a thread title, so we have to use a little creative license sometimes.

[Savoring Samsara]

I know it's not perfect, but we only have so many characters for a thread title, so we have to use a little creative license sometimes.

Heh, fair enough!

[PearlKrabs]

I wonder if John realizes that "Food for Jesus" is not really a compliment for Jesus?

That reminds me of that episode of South Park, with the missionary lady in Africa telling her starving class of converts if they practice Christianity she will give them food. Not saying these people are desperately starving like in the show, just reminded me of it. Although, I do think the food is a factor. I've gone to church functions for free food. :D

[StacyW]

That reminds me of that episode of South Park, with the missionary lady in Africa telling her starving class of converts if they practice Christianity she will give them food. Not saying these people are desperately starving like in the show, just reminded me of it. Although, I do think the food is a factor. I've gone to church functions for free food. :D

I've gone to boring meetings at work for free food.

[Antigone]

Free food is how they get college students to go to various events and talks on campus. I recall going to events if and only if they had free food. That's how I maintained my lunch schedule for the last year of college, since we couldn't really afford me buying lunch, and I always forgot to pack myself a lunch (but the kid ALWAYS got a sack lunch!).

So I wouldn't be surprised if that was the only reason people showed up to their services, if they had food available. And I admit seeing the show shrader seems to put on would be adequate entertainment too. So, dinner and a show for free! :popcorn2: why not?

[Palimpsest]

Yes. I too have bribed people to come to boring meetings and required training sessions with food. A well fed crowd is less likely to heckle you and more likely to give you positive evaluations. :mrgreen:

[formergothardite]

I sat through the one of the worst fundie music groups I've ever heard for free ice cream. :lol: Without food I bet attendance to John's church would drop significantly.

Do the people where he is at speak English? Because he goes from singing a song in another language to asking them a question in English, so I was wondering if they would typically sing in English and he was making them sing in another language.

[Palimpsest]

I sat through the one of the worst fundie music groups I've ever heard for free ice cream. :lol: Without food I bet attendance to John's church would drop significantly.

Do the people where he is at speak English? Because he goes from singing a song in another language to asking them a question in English, so I was wondering if they would typically sing in English and he was making them sing in another language.

Zambia is a former British colony so educated Zambians will usually speak some English. It's also still the language of officialdom in a country with many languages and dialects. They probably would not sing or talk amongst themselves in English, so with hymns in their local language John may be doing something right for once. He should learn one or more of their local languages if he wants to convert people though.

At the moment he probably doesn't know when they are telling him that they've heard enough praying and asking where the promised snacks are.

[nokidsmom]

He's trying to lead them to the Promised Land (in a sense) but they are there for the Promised Snacks instead.

Food often wins.

[Trynn]

The only thing I miss about church is the free food...

[scc12]

Stop it! Now I crave a Moravian hot cross bun.Or even one of their fab yeast rolls.

I'll even settle for a beeswax candle.They're the best. (yes I'm in Moravian country here ) :)

I think I'll go to the Christmas service to get them all.I just hate the crowds and the parking.

[Gobsmacked]

Primary school in lusaka all teach in English . Some are even using I pads for teaching reading. :)

[slickcat79]

Shrader has acquired this "marvelous miracle machine" and they now have it at the house.

http://www.inception.co.uk/acatalog/Nas ... cator.html

He also elaborated a bit on the story of the printer. He was speaking with a pastor at a missions conference before they left home about printing tracts and materials in the field. John had been "told by a friend" that they could get a used printer/copier for under $3K and ship it to Zambia in the container. Again, he keeps taking advice on important and expensive aspects of his mission from people who clearly have no idea what they're talking about. It was only AFTER the conversation with the pastor that John realized...ohhh, right, Zambia is on a different electrical and voltage system than the US! Of course electrical equipment that works in one place will not work in another :?

The pastor called on John to share their need in the service the next day, and John surprised all of them by quoting a price more than double what he had originally thought. AWKWARD...or at least it might be for someone who actually possesses an ounce of shame. The pastor called on the congregation to "sacrificially give" and they raised $6100 for John's new copier. Praise!!

John also gave a small update on the kids:

MK Moments!

Imagine my surprise when I came home this evening to find our precious children doing...of all things...at night of all times...school work! Love these kids!!

Wow...so your school age kids who are meant to be homeschooled every day were doing...SCHOOL WORK?! That is absolutely shocking :shock: Given his level of surprise, it's probably the first time they've done it since moving to Zambia. For sure they didn't have the tables they were working off of until the container arrived, and they would have to fit schoolwork around their schedule of hauling water, doing laundry, killing pests and cooking/cleaning.

[RachelB]

The church choir I'm in sang a Zambian anthem this morning.

John Shrader would have hated it. There was dancing, percussion, and general exuberance, and the words translated to "All who sing may be called children of God." Not, mind you, all those who come through the narrow door of John Shrader.

[ViolaSebastian]

John also gave a small update on the kids:

MK Moments!

Imagine my surprise when I came home this evening to find our precious children doing...of all things...at night of all times...school work! Love these kids!!

Wow...so your school age kids who are meant to be homeschooled every day were doing...SCHOOL WORK?! That is absolutely shocking :shock: Given his level of surprise, it's probably the first time they've done it since moving to Zambia. For sure they didn't have the tables they were working off of until the container arrived, and they would have to fit schoolwork around their schedule of hauling water, doing laundry, killing pests and cooking/cleaning.

Plus, their mother was extremely pregnant and then recovering from giving birth, on top of all that. And we darn well know that John wasn't going to step up the plate and help out with the kiddos' education. I really worry what effect all this is going to have on the children's education. Surely they can't all be grifter missionaries to support their broods and need to have some education under their belts.

[Mama Mia]

What I don't get, with both him and the Rodriquezes, is WHY the need for a huge, bulky, unweidly, expensive, space sucking printer??? Why don't they just hook up a normal printer to their laptop? Some of them, for about $100 -200 will do a large number of copies quickly, plus scan, etc.

That would seem to make so much more sense! I could see if they were in a spot where they had permanent roots and lots of space and spare money, that maybe investing in a printer might, maybe, be a good idea....but that is not the situation either of them is in. Just WHY?

[gustava]

What I don't get, with both him and the Rodriquezes, is WHY the need for a huge, bulky, unweidly, expensive, space sucking printer??? Why don't they just hook up a normal printer to their laptop? Some of them, for about $100 -200 will do a large number of copies quickly, plus scan, etc.

That would seem to make so much more sense! I could see if they were in a spot where they had permanent roots and lots of space and spare money, that maybe investing in a printer might, maybe, be a good idea....but that is not the situation either of them is in. Just WHY?

I'm with you on this. What is this obsession with ginormoursly expensive printers?

ETA: Penis substitution?

[happy atheist]

Mr Atheist's office has one of the super ginormous, complicated, expensive printers. You need an advanced degree to even run the damn thing, plus it is in constant need of servicing. They rent theirs, and get upgrades every year or so. Not a practical machine at all.

[salex]

Unless John has had the classes on repairing that printer, OR there is a local service rep that he can afford, there is a good chance he'll have a paperweight on his hands within 6 months. I do large amounts of in-house printing on a good business printer designed for business work, and there are months where I get to be on a first name basis with the repair/maintenance person. Yes, I can and do run a boatload of color prints through it on a semi regular basis, but--if I didn't have the maintenance guy on speed dial, it would have been printing crap within the year and nothing after the first year.

[Jasmar]

I also read on stufffundieslove that the new ginormous printers come with a hard drive that records everything copied, in orders to try to fight copyright infringement. And IFB types are often deeply enamored of ignoring copyright on tracts, sheet music, other peoples' sermons...

[OnceModestTwiceShy]

About the free food: I always, bring my college students treats on the days that I give tests and quizzes and I straight-up tell them that it's so they won't hate me for testing them. :D