John Shrader: Killing Snakes & Grifting Appliances for Jesus

[Guest]

This whole situation makes me so sad. Sarah seemingly still had hope up until the end, and it must be devastating for the family to know that her daughter will barely remember her. If I remember correctly, she was recording herself singing lullabies at one point so her daughter could listen to it after she was gone.

I have no doubt that John and his father are grieving, but they're just so blinded by this damn "mission." I don't think that we can consider John the loser son who got sent off to Africa to avoid embarrassment anymore. Rick clearly has the wool pulled over his eyes just like all of the other idiots who support John. I would suggest starting a fund to send Julia to college, but I doubt John or daddy would be okay with that idea...

[salex]

Is John's FB private? Anyone friends with him? I am curious to see if he has mentioned anything regarding his sister. He is not obligated to, and I would not fault him for keeping silent. I have no doubt he loved his sister, and it must have been heartbreaking to see her suffer and watch her life be cut short by such an awful disease.

That being said, the snarky part of me wants to know how he has made Sarah's passing all about himself and his grifting.

I believe it is public.

There is quite a bit of "I" in his post, and her name is not used much. His parents are his, not ours, She is "his sister" not "Sarah" Her husband is not mentioned at all and the child briefly, her siblings and parents are the stars of the Grief.

{L_MESSAGE_HIDDEN}:

The first Resurrection Sunday started with tears but ended with triumph.

This is how ours started here in Zambia. I woke to the heart shattering news that my sister had left this sin sick world and had gone to be with the Lord.

I can imagine the women as they made their way to the Garden tomb, tears streaming down their faces...

I know the feeling.

It was the same beginning of this Resurrection Day for me and our family here in Zambia.

It's so hard to say goodbye from the other side of the world.

I only was blessed with one sister. Sarah and I were only 11 months and 2 weeks apart. For two weeks every year we were the same age. Growing up she never let me forget it.

One memory I love to share is how she actually threatened some bullies at church camp one year when I was ten, the same year I surrendered to full time ministry. Born two months premature, I was always shorter, had glasses and pimples, thrift store clothing...in other words, a perfect nerd to pick on. Sarah was fiercely loyal, very protective, and she came out of nowhere like a mama bear, lit into those bullies, and gave them "what for"! I was so embarrassed to have my taller "little sister" protecting me. I told her the next time just let me die.

We had such fun together that year, competing against each other to see who could speak pig Latin the fastest.

I have so many precious memories of my sister from those growing up years. It's hard to enunciate how much she meant to me.

There were good times and bad, and though it's impossible to put into words our times together or my love for my Sister, I have to thank God for how He worked a difficult trial in our lives together for good.

Many of you know we experienced a deep trial in having to change sending churches. It has been one of the hardest, most painful and difficult trials we have ever been through. The griefs to our hearts from what was said about us and done was so difficult. The blessing was that it was no surprise to God, and He used the necessary trip home in a special way.

I returned home for an official sending service from our original home church, Tri-County Baptist Church. My father planted this church 36 years ago, and it was while there I was led to Christ, Biblically Immersed, Surrendered to full time ministry, gained invaluable experience serving as I grew up, was ordained, and served alongside my father for five years as his associate pastor.

It was so hard watching my sister fighting cancer from the other side of the world, and I had to deal with the reality that I may not see her again this side of Eternity. I had not seen her for almost a year and a half, but when I returned home for the commissioning and sending service I had the precious privilege of seeing and spending some priceless time with my dear sister.

As I was there with hershe requested that I play a special hymn she had been meditating on recently. It was so good to see my sister make her calling and election sure through that time of deep trial.

She requested that I play "Burdens Are Lifted At Calvary" on her old grand piano. My sweet mother recorded it on a cell phone for Sarah so she could hear it again.

If that difficult trial regarding our former sending church had not happened, I would not have been there, not had spent that time with Sarah, or not recorded that hymn. What was shared with me this morning makes all the pain, difficulties, false accusations, and sadness of our trial fade into the background to see how God brought a special blessing from it that I will cherish until I see Sarah again in Glory.

Missionaries give up many things, but family is one of the dearest. As my father described my sister's final hours, and how all her brothers came to her side and shared something to her as she was slipping into eternity, the grief stabbed through my heart that I was unable to be there with them. The indescribable ache at not having been there to express my love to her was so acute.

Then my mother shared something with me that I view as an incalculable and invaluable gift.

All the family had shared something with her except of course me. I would have wanted to be contacted even though it was the middle of the night here, but at such a time thoughts about things like that are not always clear.

My brother Seth was going through the phone looking for something to play for Sarah, some song, when he came across the recording we had made when she requested I play "Burdens Are Lifted" on the piano for her.

Seth played the recorded video at her bedside, and about ten mintues later she slipped the bonds of her pain wracked body and went home. God had lifted her burden. Seth said it was like she had heard everyone and was waiting for me. Even writing this causes the flows to spring fresh from my eyes...

God was so wonderfully merciful to my sister in her death. He truly, as we used to sing together as a family, gave her "grace to cross the river." She was able to go home from the hospital, be alert and spend a last evening with her darling two year old baby girl, Julia, and told our father as he left the night before "I love you daddy." God mercifully and miraculously alleviated her unbelievable pain, of which the strongest pain medication was unable to touch most of the time, and her last hours were peaceful even though the hospice could not give her intravenous pain medication, and God took her quickly.

I thank God for the trials and tears that led to my final moments with my sister, even being able to be a part of her home going with that hymn.

The grief is fresh and our family thanks you for your expressions of care, support, encouragement and love. It means more to our hearts than you could know.

Though I cannot be there for her memorial, I thank God for our many precious memories.

Though this day will probably not end with a resurrection, we can still triumph in our Risen Lord. The tears of Christ's followers turned to cries of joy at His Revelation of His Resurrection.

We too can joy, for one day we will see Sarah...and Christ. That is true triumph. Because Christ triumphed over sin and death, so may we.

All Glory and Praise, to the Lamb that was slain, Who hath borne all our sins and had cleansed every stain.

Hallelujah Thine the Glory, Hallelujah Amen!

It will be worth it all.

Sarah's older brother,

[PrairieGirl]

Ugh, so basically he did make it all about himself. Ass.

I have noticed that the Shrifters rarely mention Sarah's husband. I wonder if there is some kind of rift between them. Perhaps he is an upstanding, hardworking man with a job? Sounds perfectly reasonable to me.

Notice how John used the opportunity to mention how he never would have been able to see his sister had his former sending church not yanked the rug out from under him. Yeah, I'm sure that was god's plan all along Johnny Boy.

Sarah's daughter was only 2. My heart breaks for her.

ETA: Thank you, salex.

[Palimpsest]

Yes, David kept the Team Zambia website and erased all mention of John. He doesn't seem to mention the split at all in any of his newsletters.

So reading the newsletter from June/July of last year David says that a man worked overtime for almost a year to fund his printer. Isn't that the exact same story John told? Are there two different men who worked overtime to fund printers for Zambia or is this the same printer and David got to keep it and John had to find another one? This printer cost the same amount that John said his printer cost.

rea.teamzambia.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/June-July-Prayer.pdf

John's story was that some poor sucker worked overtime to buy a couple of tons of paper. On the printers, John claimed to have grifted two. In one case he originally asked a church for $2,000 for a specific model printer and then realized that it wouldn't work with Zambia's voltage. So he corrected himself in his later presentation and instead of realizing that he was a dimwit who didn't understand what he was doing, the church magically coughed up another $5.000. Just. like. that. God is so good.

Perhaps he gave Rea one of the printers and the TeamZambia site to Rea as a payoff to buy silence. Rea has not said one word about the big split, IIRC. Rea has gone really silent on his big plan to have a radio station in Zambia too. I still want to know who got the plane!

John has really outdone himself with grifting the Bible display case. WTF? Not only is it a useless object but isn't cabinet-making one of the skilz and past jobs he boasted about when he posted his resume on Pickles and Hairspray for us?

So sad about his sister though.

[sparkles]

The only way it would POSSIBLY be okay to ask people to donate to John instead of to a fund for the daughter or to cancer research is if Sarah herself made that request and if that actually happened I need to look out my window to watch the pigs fly by as hell freezes over. Otherwise, it's one of the most disgusting things I've ever heard of.

[Palimpsest]

I believe it is public.

There is quite a bit of "I" in his post, and her name is not used much. His parents are his, not ours, She is "his sister" not "Sarah" Her husband is not mentioned at all and the child briefly, her siblings and parents are the stars of the Grief.

{L_MESSAGE_HIDDEN}:

The first Resurrection Sunday started with tears but ended with triumph.

This is how ours started here in Zambia. I woke to the heart shattering news that my sister had left this sin sick world and had gone to be with the Lord.

I can imagine the women as they made their way to the Garden tomb, tears streaming down their faces...

I know the feeling.

It was the same beginning of this Resurrection Day for me and our family here in Zambia.

It's so hard to say goodbye from the other side of the world.

I only was blessed with one sister. Sarah and I were only 11 months and 2 weeks apart. For two weeks every year we were the same age. Growing up she never let me forget it.

One memory I love to share is how she actually threatened some bullies at church camp one year when I was ten, the same year I surrendered to full time ministry. Born two months premature, I was always shorter, had glasses and pimples, thrift store clothing...in other words, a perfect nerd to pick on. Sarah was fiercely loyal, very protective, and she came out of nowhere like a mama bear, lit into those bullies, and gave them "what for"! I was so embarrassed to have my taller "little sister" protecting me. I told her the next time just let me die.

We had such fun together that year, competing against each other to see who could speak pig Latin the fastest.

I have so many precious memories of my sister from those growing up years. It's hard to enunciate how much she meant to me.

There were good times and bad, and though it's impossible to put into words our times together or my love for my Sister, I have to thank God for how He worked a difficult trial in our lives together for good.

Many of you know we experienced a deep trial in having to change sending churches. It has been one of the hardest, most painful and difficult trials we have ever been through. The griefs to our hearts from what was said about us and done was so difficult. The blessing was that it was no surprise to God, and He used the necessary trip home in a special way.

I returned home for an official sending service from our original home church, Tri-County Baptist Church. My father planted this church 36 years ago, and it was while there I was led to Christ, Biblically Immersed, Surrendered to full time ministry, gained invaluable experience serving as I grew up, was ordained, and served alongside my father for five years as his associate pastor.

It was so hard watching my sister fighting cancer from the other side of the world, and I had to deal with the reality that I may not see her again this side of Eternity. I had not seen her for almost a year and a half, but when I returned home for the commissioning and sending service I had the precious privilege of seeing and spending some priceless time with my dear sister.

As I was there with hershe requested that I play a special hymn she had been meditating on recently. It was so good to see my sister make her calling and election sure through that time of deep trial.

She requested that I play "Burdens Are Lifted At Calvary" on her old grand piano. My sweet mother recorded it on a cell phone for Sarah so she could hear it again.

If that difficult trial regarding our former sending church had not happened, I would not have been there, not had spent that time with Sarah, or not recorded that hymn. What was shared with me this morning makes all the pain, difficulties, false accusations, and sadness of our trial fade into the background to see how God brought a special blessing from it that I will cherish until I see Sarah again in Glory.

Missionaries give up many things, but family is one of the dearest. As my father described my sister's final hours, and how all her brothers came to her side and shared something to her as she was slipping into eternity, the grief stabbed through my heart that I was unable to be there with them. The indescribable ache at not having been there to express my love to her was so acute.

Then my mother shared something with me that I view as an incalculable and invaluable gift.

All the family had shared something with her except of course me. I would have wanted to be contacted even though it was the middle of the night here, but at such a time thoughts about things like that are not always clear.

My brother Seth was going through the phone looking for something to play for Sarah, some song, when he came across the recording we had made when she requested I play "Burdens Are Lifted" on the piano for her.

Seth played the recorded video at her bedside, and about ten mintues later she slipped the bonds of her pain wracked body and went home. God had lifted her burden. Seth said it was like she had heard everyone and was waiting for me. Even writing this causes the flows to spring fresh from my eyes...

God was so wonderfully merciful to my sister in her death. He truly, as we used to sing together as a family, gave her "grace to cross the river." She was able to go home from the hospital, be alert and spend a last evening with her darling two year old baby girl, Julia, and told our father as he left the night before "I love you daddy." God mercifully and miraculously alleviated her unbelievable pain, of which the strongest pain medication was unable to touch most of the time, and her last hours were peaceful even though the hospice could not give her intravenous pain medication, and God took her quickly.

I thank God for the trials and tears that led to my final moments with my sister, even being able to be a part of her home going with that hymn.

The grief is fresh and our family thanks you for your expressions of care, support, encouragement and love. It means more to our hearts than you could know.

Though I cannot be there for her memorial, I thank God for our many precious memories.

Though this day will probably not end with a resurrection, we can still triumph in our Risen Lord. The tears of Christ's followers turned to cries of joy at His Revelation of His Resurrection.

We too can joy, for one day we will see Sarah...and Christ. That is true triumph. Because Christ triumphed over sin and death, so may we.

All Glory and Praise, to the Lamb that was slain, Who hath borne all our sins and had cleansed every stain.

Hallelujah Thine the Glory, Hallelujah Amen!

It will be worth it all.

Sarah's older brother,

Dear Lord. Talk about me, my, me, I, me. Me me me. Also interesting that the family did not call John. Perhaps it was because their thoughts "weren't clear." More likely they were dealing with their own grief and couldn't stomach John's needy narcissism.

So nice that John spared one sentence for Sarah's daughter. What a family man he is not.

[Milly-Molly-Mandy]

I am just so devastated for Julia and her dad. John's mum seemed very close to her daughter. I'm sure she is devastated right now.

Sending money to John instead of donating money to cancer research or for Julia's care is just outrageous. Clearly his father's favourite.

[slickcat79]

Wow, John seems to have learned his grifting ways from Daddy. Most people would have set up an education fund or "child care" fund for her husband and child. (Note there is ONE Sentence about her husband in Rick's description of events.. sort of an aside)

I noted when John is describing his childhood memory of his sister, he tells us it happened

:shifty:

I noticed that. And also the part where he hadn't seen her in a year and a half...but he'd only been in Zambia about half that long. So he knows his sister (that he's SO CLOSE to) is dying, and he's going to be leaving the country for an indefinite period of time, but he doesn't bother to go visit her before leaving for Zambia? That's just unbelievable to me.

[SPHASH]

I have noticed that the Shrifters rarely mention Sarah's husband. I wonder if there is some kind of rift between them. Perhaps he is an upstanding, hardworking man with a job? Sounds perfectly reasonable to me.

I found Anthony's FB page. It looks like he self employed working for Waller Marine, family business perhaps? And his likes include lots of pages dedicated to motorsports and cars. In other words, he is normal!

[countressrascal]

F-ing idiot he made her death all about him. No mention that she left behind a young daughter and loving husband who have been to hell and back for the last 1+ year. People like him really get under my skin when they use someone else pain to ask for money, he deserves NOTHING. Grow up

[snickerz]

LOL, has this been discussed?

sentinelalert.org/evangelist/missionary-to-zambia/

John rambles on and on about about Zambian bugs and salsa. Then tries to tie it in to being thankful for the little things. He tries to be humorous, but it just showcases the fact that he's a complete idiot (and a really bad writer).

[formergothardite]

So saving souls is worth giving up Walmart restaurant style chips, but he didn't really give them up because they found a store and bought some?

We did not come to Zambia because of the food, or lack thereof.

If I remember correctly John talked about how he couldn't wait to go on the "African diet" so he could lose weight.

We did not come to give our children fascinating cultural experiences.

We all figured that out John. You have shown absolutely no desire to learn about the Zambian culture, you are too busy trying to make it like America.

[Palimpsest]

More choice items from John's Sentinelalert article.

I note that he omitted the snake and rat massacres.

I used to have no affinity to salsa at all! All that changed after I met Dave. One of the most memorable people I have had the privilege of leading to the Lord

Yeah, I suppose it is possible that a kid born and raised in Texas disliked salsa. Obligatory self-congratulatory plug for the fact that John "discipled" Dave. He's "discipled" so few many people that he can remember them all by name.

Fast forward past a seven year sabbatical in the Northwest far, far away from authentic Tex-Mex.

Fast forward to "pastoring at store-front churches while taking and getting fired from endless part-time jobs to support my growing family. And honing my grifting skills."

Fast forward again to Zambia. We searched long and hard, high and low, but despite the fact that maize (a variety of corn) is the staple diet here in Zambia, and there are many corn based food items and chips, we could not find tortilla or corn chips anywhere!

Maize = corn.

We were really missing some chips and salsa, so we made a batch of salsa and Esther spent all day trying several different recipes and attempts to make chips.

What a pity she didn't devote that time to homeschooling or even just putting her feet up. Poor Esther.

I put out a request via a Zambian fb page and someone in Lusaka suggested a specialty store that I believe used to be in the US, Woolworths.

It rather shocks me that John has never heard of F.W. Woolworth. Meh, that could be generational and I'm sure the Civil Rights Movement wasn't covered at the SOTDRT.

Despite being raised to passionately love missions, have a burden and a desire to be a missionary since my teens, and taking multiple missions trips to Mexico, Russia, Japan, Peru, Zambia, and Burundi,

Translation: Multiple missionary trips = 6. All < 3 weeks.

it was not until we became missionaries living in a third world country

For the love of Dog, John, you are living in Zambia so stop being so rude! Repeat after me: "Zambia is a developing country not a Third World Country."

I actually do understand food cravings when you move to a new country and empathize with the Shraders. Let me just take a moment to say: American cheeses are awful. And limited in scope. I crave good Cheshire and Wensleydale. And real French Brie and Camembert not the over-pasteurized American crap. Also, American chocolate is gritty. I crave Cadbury's Fruit and Nut as made in the UK. That nasty stuff put out by Hershey under the Cadbury name is really not the same. "First World" problems. :D

[SPHASH]

Apparently they are going to try to livestream the service to John in Zambia. They also hope to put the funeral on You Tube.

[salex]

2 Things,

1) he acts like getting fired from a series of pt time jobs is some kind of badge of honor or that he's proud of it. What it shows to me is that he was not able to show up on time or as scheduled, or was a lazy cuss when he was there. These are not things to be proud of, but are borne out in his on screen personae since I've been following him here on FJ.

2) I will say that watching the video of my uncle's funeral was actually a good thing for me, since I couldn't be there. It is not the same as being there, but it was good to see the people in attendance and to hear the different eulogies.

[Burris]

If I remember correctly John talked about how he couldn't wait to go on the "African diet" so he could lose weight.

Oh come on. No. It's as if someone were bringing to life that quote falsely attributed to Mariah Carey:

"When I watch TV and see those poor starving kids all over the world, I can't help but cry. I mean, I'd love to be skinny like that, but not with all those flies and death and stuff."

If I didn't know the source, I'd think you were fucking with me.

[formergothardite]

Oh come on. No. It's as if someone were bringing to life that quote falsely attributed to Mariah Carey:

If I didn't know the source, I'd think you were fucking with me.

It was on his FB page when he was public so I can't find it anymore, but he posted a picture that showed how much sugar was in various drinks and he captioned it something like "I can't wait to lose weight on the African Miracle diet." :angry-banghead:

[Guest]

John needs a title like Doug Phillips is a Tool and Lori Alexander is a Monster. John Shrader is not a Real Missionary?

[thoughtful]

Maize = corn.

I guess John's too young to remember this Mazola commercial:

[bBvideo 560,340:5ymzxzjg]

[/bBvideo]

[Trynn]

John needs a title like Doug Phillips is a Tool and Lori Alexander is a Monster. John Shrader is not a Real Missionary?

Fake missionary....

Fakessionary?

Fauxssionary?

Hmmmmm

[PrairieGirl]

Fake missionary....

Fakessionary?

Fauxssionary?

Hmmmmm

He needs a warning label.

John Shrader is a....

Dangerous fake missionary?

Grifting/thieving fake missionary?

Asshat disguised as a missionary?

[church_of_dog]

He needs a warning label.

John Shrader is a....

Dangerous fake missionary?

Grifting/thieving fake missionary?

Asshat disguised as a missionary?

Hit-or-miss-ionary?

Miss-the-point-ionary?

:sick:

[Cartmann99]

John needs a title like Doug Phillips is a Tool and Lori Alexander is a Monster. John Shrader is not a Real Missionary?

Grifting Faux Missionary= Grauxionary (grow-shun-airy)

[apple1]

Hit-or-miss-ionary?

Miss-the-point-ionary?

:sick:

As I posted on a long-ago Shrader thread...

I suspect this is just the latest scheme from this moochinary.

[Mitz_]

Rick Shrader is a special kind of fool. How the hell did John become beneficiary over Sarah's child and husband? This one must have people questioning his sanity.

In Memoral.

Some have ask about flowers. There will probably be more than enough.

She so loved her big brother John,

Misdionary to Zambia. He got to be home last month to talk, pray and play the piano for her.

She wanted so much to help the Shraders and their nine children.

She once ask John, "do the children realize they could die of disease." John told her what Agape had just said. She is five.

She prayed for Aunt Sarah everyday. "Mommy, if i were to die first in Africa? would you promise me to pray for Aunt Sarah everyday.?" Thank you that support them monthly, and if you want to send something in Sarah's memory, this is the address.

Now, Im sure Sarah did have concerns about the Shraders. She once asked John " do the children realise they could die of disease". Do the children realise...in other words...how do the other people affected by this feel, brother? It isn't all about you.

I'm sure Sarah loved her brother but this, this...is mind blowing. This, her death, should have been about Sarah and Sarah's family. It should not have been another benefit for John. I can't imagine what people are thinking about Pastor Rick. " don't send flowers, give to John."