John "The Hot One" Maxwell Leaving the Country

[samurai_sarah]

Let the bet begin.. I'm still betting on South Asia!

Done! :D May the winner enjoy two animal crackers...

[salex]

I'm with central america as well, but the Cuba idea is interesting.... Steve could then claim his family was among the first to go to Cuba for Mission Work once relations were officially re-established...

Even if it is just to spend 2 weeks and promoting Chore Packs and Moody stories.

[Palimpsest]

My money is on ShesCrafty to win the internetz on this one.

Honduras. The flag convinced me.

I hope John uses appropriate caution if he is in Honduras.

http://travel.state.gov/content/passpor ... rning.html

[Eater of Worlds]

Someone said based on a photo from his irrigation site, that he's in a certain place. I don't think so. I saw that same picture and thought, why is his blurb about where he's located pointing to Central America? Then I saw that all the blurbs have a little pointed tab on them, like they are thought bubbles. And in his location blurb he just used a map that has North, Central and part of South America on it and the thought bubble just ended up in the vicinity of Central America.

{L_MESSAGE_HIDDEN}:

I wonder if this can be done on the photo http://www.howtogeek.com/211427/how-to- ... n-private/

[HoneyBunny]

My money is on ShesCrafty to win the internetz on this one.

Honduras. The flag convinced me.

I hope John uses appropriate caution if he is in Honduras.

http://travel.state.gov/content/passpor ... rning.html

I hope he gets certified to scuba dive so he can see what I think is the most beautiful part of God's creation (and have great fun doing it).

[Palimpsest]

I hope he gets certified to scuba dive so he can see what I think is the most beautiful part of God's creation (and have great fun doing it).

Fun? Fun? Get thee behind me, Satan. Maxwells don't have fun.

I hope John is enjoying himself greatly, but baby steps. He has to learn to walk before he can run. :)

[NotALoserLikeYou]

What if he even has a pair of shorts in that little backpack? Or swim trunks! This is getting more scandalous by the second.

[halcionne]

From that picture, I'm going with some place where people have both Indian and African ancestry, like a Caribbean country. But this is just speculation.

I'm still catching up on the thread. My guess is Caribbean, also, for the above reasons. And whatever they're drinking from the thermos is in tiny cups, so it's potentially quite strong. I'm not saying they're in Cuba, but Cubans take their coffee quite strong, so maybe other islands, do, too?

[Marian the Librarian]

Someone said based on a photo from his irrigation site, that he's in a certain place. I don't think so. I saw that same picture and thought, why is his blurb about where he's located pointing to Central America? Then I saw that all the blurbs have a little pointed tab on them, like they are thought bubbles. And in his location blurb he just used a map that has North, Central and part of South America on it and the thought bubble just ended up in the vicinity of Central America.

{L_MESSAGE_HIDDEN}:

I wonder if this can be done on the photo http://www.howtogeek.com/211427/how-to- ... n-private/

{L_MESSAGE_HIDDEN}:

Alas, no latitude/longitude info on the photo's properties. Those crafty Maxwells...

[nomoxian]

When it comes to Maxwellville, there are never too many questions. You should really question everything.

You need to question everything coming from Steve because he'd a deceitful liar.

Hey Steve; do you know where you're going to go when you lie... I mean die...

[LucySnowe]

Hmm, I think he could get a few extra items of clothing into the backpack. My husband manages his trips on that much space, including the Small Bag Of Manly Toiletries, and if you roll the clothing you get a nice compact bundle. I sure do hope he's bringing two pairs of jeans.

And maybe he doesn't need any PJs. :wink-kitty:

I'm on the "not a hottie" bandwagon but I can see why some of the ladies here might need to spend some time in the prayer closet, and I think he does look cuter when he's happier (i.e. out from under Steve's thumb). But who wouldn't?

Bet they gave him orders to get in touch the moment he landed. Possibly with a pre-paid phone card attached.

[HereticHick]

I've also wondered about Cuba. Steve's reticence makes sense if John's friends are proselytzing there, and also because fundy Christians tend to be rabidly anti-Communist & therefore big supporters of the US embargo towards Cuba. I really believe that Juan is somewhere in Central America/Caribbean/northern South America, because he got there pretty quickly (unless Sarah deliberately dragged out the timeline) with only a backpack. I just can't seeing getting to Asia that quickly. I am betting his friends are men near him in size & he's borrowing clothes, so his backpack held only undies, toiletries and a bible. Or no bible at all. Que scandaloso!

So my predictions are 1. Suriname 2. Guadaloupe 3. Cuba

the sad part of this--the Maxwells, Bates, Duggars et al would SUCK at this "Where in the World is Juan SanMaxwello?" game. Their SOTDRT education has left them with no critical thinking skills or curiousity.

PS If you like geography games like this, I recommend Geoguesser.

I look forward to Sarah's future books: VIsiting Anonymous Countries with the Moodys and Traveling Minimalistically with the Moodys.

[Black Aliss]

Is that barbed wire on top of the wall behind them?

What on earth.....

That could be just about any urban area in Mexico/Central America. Pretty much every home an business has bars on the windows and doors and walls topped with razor wire or broken bottles.

My money is on Honduras. Didn't the Duggars go to love on the heathens in Honduras a couple of years ago?

[Palimpsest]

Hmm, I think he could get a few extra items of clothing into the backpack. My husband manages his trips on that much space, including the Small Bag Of Manly Toiletries, and if you roll the clothing you get a nice compact bundle. I sure do hope he's bringing two pairs of jeans.

You could well be right. Looking at the photo again, the backpack is a bit bigger than I thought (his elbow is in the way) and it looks as though he has a windbreaker or jacket draped over the top. If Sarah is kind enough to post more pics we may be able to count how many changes of clothes he took. Not that we are obsessive or anything!

Someone upthread said that Steve is deceitful. He is, but I don't think we have ever caught him in an outright lie, have we?

Steve's technique is more lying by omission and he is very skilled at misdirection without telling an absolute whopper. He also just loves saying "I'm not going to tell you! Neener-neener-neener."

Is it possible that John is already back from his Magical Mystery Tour? Sarah could have asked for prayers for his return flight. Nah. Probably not. Asking for prayer for John adjusting to an alien culture if he is already back in Maxhell would be too close to an actual lie.

[Maggie Mae]

What if he even has a pair of shorts in that little backpack? Or swim trunks! This is getting more scandalous by the second.

He's wearing shorts. Those are convertible hiking pants.

ETA: if they are the brand I'm thinking they are, they can also be used to swim in, in a pinch.

[Jezebel]

I wonder why the backpack tho? Ya, I guess it prevents lost luggage, as stated on the blog, but was his flight so complicated that this was a larger risk than normal? Or are the Maxwells paranoid about strangers having access to their luggage? Is John intending to be on the move enough so that it makes sense to have just one portable bag? Am I asking too many questions??

I don't travel very often, but when I do I make a point of traveling light, only taking what will fit in carry-on luggage. If I was headed to someplace like Central America (which seems to be where John is), I'd backpack it, too--unless you're staying in the capial city, chances are you'll take a bus or other public transport to your destination, and dealing with only one bag makes things so much easier--not to mention reduces the risk of theft, or of the airlines losing your luggage.

So I see nothing strange at all about him taking only a backpack. Why would he need to take more than that?

[HereticHick]

Jezebel, I love your avatar. I've seen that visage in person. Botoxorama.

If we are lucky Juan will hook up with some irrigation aid project in Cuba or Honduras or wherever he is & never return to Kansas!! :lol:

[Tiny Bubbles]

I don't travel very often, but when I do I make a point of traveling light, only taking what will fit in carry-on luggage. If I was headed to someplace like Central America (which seems to be where John is), I'd backpack it, too--unless you're staying in the capial city, chances are you'll take a bus or other public transport to your destination, and dealing with only one bag makes things so much easier--not to mention reduces the risk of theft, or of the airlines losing your luggage.

So I see nothing strange at all about him taking only a backpack. W

hy would he need to take more than that?

Yep, good points. And with that lightweight travel clothing he's wearing, he could squish a lot in.

ETA: so my vote is for a Central American country that uses, or wants to use, irrigation.

[Jezebel]

I really believe that Juan is somewhere in Central America/Caribbean/northern South America, because he got there pretty quickly (unless Sarah deliberately dragged out the timeline) with only a backpack. I just can't seeing getting to Asia that quickly.

Well, that, and the fact that his friends don't look Asian at all, but they do look like they are from Central America.

I used to live in a neighborhood that had a lot of Central American immigrants, and got pretty good at guessing who was from where. So for what that's worth, I'll say that a group, they're mostly mestizo; they don't look African enough for the Caribbean/Cuba. They're not Indian enough to be Guatemalan, or European enough to be either El Salvadoran or Costa Rican. Panama likely doesn't need foreign ESL teachers, given the long US presence in the Canal Zone. So my bet is Honduras, followed by Nicaragua.

[Jezebel]

Jezebel, I love your avatar. I've seen that visage in person. Botoxorama.

If we are lucky Juan will hook up with some irrigation aid project in Cuba or Honduras or wherever he is & never return to Kansas!! :lol:

I've been a half-assed Scientology watcher for years, now, and with the renewed public upsurge of interest due to Going Clear I finally got caught up on reading the stack of ex-Scieno memoirs I'd accumulated. So I'd be delighted if John took the opportunity to "blow" from his own toxic cult--even though it's certain to mean disconnection.

[Tiny Bubbles]

With this trip he's already showing a lot of gumption, so who knows?

[Tiny Bubbles]

Well, that, and the fact that his friends don't look Asian at all, but they do look like they are from Central America.

I used to live in a neighborhood that had a lot of Central American immigrants, and got pretty good at guessing who was from where. So for what that's worth, I'll say that a group, they're mostly mestizo; they don't look African enough for the Caribbean/Cuba. They're not Indian enough to be Guatemalan, or European enough to be either El Salvadoran or Costa Rican. Panama likely doesn't need foreign ESL teachers, given the long US presence in the Canal Zone. So my bet is Honduras, followed by Nicaragua.

Welp, we've narrowed it down to a few excellent possibilities.

**Dusts hands**

I think our work here is done. How'd we do, Steve?

[WonderingInWA]

With this trip he's already showing a lot of gumption, so who knows?

John was the one that was hardest for Teri to "break", always the rebellious one. I'd love to know how he finally got permission from Stevie to go on this trip, and ALONE, mind you. He's the only child who has been allowed to take trips alone (he did the drive to California with Uriah last summer). I just wish for once he'd cancel that return ticket and live a little.

[kaschmit]

John was the one that was hardest for Teri to "break", always the rebellious one. I'd love to know how he finally got permission from Stevie to go on this trip, and ALONE, mind you. He's the only child who has been allowed to take trips alone (he did the drive to California with Uriah last summer). I just wish for once he'd cancel that return ticket and live a little.

Thats exactly it, I dont think he ever got permission, I think the Maxwell posts are PR. Could you imagine how Steve's empire would crumble if one of his kids bailed? No, I think John is getting antsy and the blog posts are spun to try and keep face a bit. I think John has the upper hand here. I mean, we are talking about a man who wouldnt let his children watch a VIDEO of people lighting candles. There is no way he is cool with solo travel. Its not even a mission!!!

I think this is big.

[HereticHick]

He has 500+ contacts on his LinkedIn Profile (type in his name + irrigation to find it) and hasn't joined any LinkedIn groups having anything to do with Christianity.

Run, John, run!