Morton's headed to Paraguay?

[Escapefromfundiedom]

Saw something on one of the Morton's (public) instagrams. They're going to Paraguay apparently. I wish Addie still updated their blog. Her instagram is private and I'm not on IG anyway...i know some of their beliefs are repugnant, but they were my gateway fundie family and I have a huge soft spot for Addie. I hope she enjoys this bit of world travel.

[Jana814]

Did it say how many of them r going.

[Flyinthesoup]

This is interesting. There appears to be a whole lot of Christians moving to South America, or at the very least, checking out a few countries in South America, to move there. In the Jill & Ben thread regarding them going down there, one of the posters made a comment that reminded me of something I have heard about in the past year. I got lost down the rabbit hole as I started digging to see what I could find.

Perhaps someone on here knows more about this, as I only heard about it, a year ago, then again, about a month ago. There is a belief out there that a large economic crash is coming, for North America, so people are running away to what they believe are safe countries in South America.

I don't follow the Morton's, but I wonder if this might be why they are traveling down there.....hmmm......

[Escapefromfundiedom]

I don't know how many are going...maybe just the single ones?

It seemed really sudden. People on IG were saying "really already?" It definitely seems a little strange...

Several years ago there was a lot of "America's economy is collapsing, head to South America" chatter in some fundie circles, I don't know if that's still going on. Paraguay is an interesting choice to me...but maybe it's just a missions trip (oh goodie). Or maybe it's farming related. There are a lot of programs where people who are interested in farming can travel around the world and stay on other farms. Perhaps they're setting up another farm in South America?? (<---total internet speculation bus there)

I don't know. Like I said...seems strange to me. I mean, Marth just had her baby, Darth is having a baby soon and Lise too I think. It must kill Addie to be leaving right now? And didn't Sam just start courting someone? And Andrew just got married, which means there will probably be a baby soon.

Weirdness.

[love2scrap]

I follow addie on instagram, she just posted that Sam Morton and Alyssa Campana got engaged

[browngrl]

I follow addie on instagram, she just posted that Sam Morton and Alyssa Campana got engaged

What does Adeline have to say about Paraguay?

[Seven Severn]

I mean, Marth just had her baby

What did she have and when did she have it?

ETA: Never mind, just found the info. Alexandria Alexander. Sheesh. Zandry for short. Sheesh, again.

[MissBitters]

Where did you all find out about Dorothy's pregnancy & Martha's baby?

[SolomonFundy]

Where did you all find out about Dorothy's pregnancy & Martha's baby?

Some users here were followers on various Morton instagram accounts before they were made private.

[halcionne]

I follow Addie and some other Mortons' IGs that I can't think of right now, but Addie is the most active poster. MissBitters, I reported three pregnant Mortons a few weeks ago in the baby watch thread. The hard part for me is that I have trouble telling everyone apart (Martha is the only one I could pick out of a lineup).

There was a post 'one day ago' quoting Isaiah 55:12 (it's a pic of a cloudy sky taken through a window screen) where Addie answered some followers' questions about the trip. She said they'll be back in the spring, it's not a typical mission, and she hopes to put a letter from Papa Morton on the blog soon.

They're in Miami now, doing bureaucratic stuff at the consulate. Three hours ago she posted a pic of Sam and Alyssa canoodling in a hallway, so I guess that means Alyssa's going to Paraguay, too? How close are the Campanas to Miami? Maybe she's just visiting, or they're hosting the Mortons, but I inferred that they were staying in a hotel. I'm off to reexamine these pictures now. :think:

[SolomonFundy]

I follow Addie and some other Mortons' IGs that I can't think of right now, but Addie is the most active poster. MissBitters, I reported three pregnant Mortons a few weeks ago in the baby watch thread. The hard part for me is that I have trouble telling everyone apart (Martha is the only one I could pick out of a lineup).

There was a post 'one day ago' quoting Isaiah 55:12 (it's a pic of a cloudy sky taken through a window screen) where Addie answered some followers' questions about the trip. She said they'll be back in the spring, it's not a typical mission, and she hopes to put a letter from Papa Morton on the blog soon.

They're in Miami now, doing bureaucratic stuff at the consulate. Three hours ago she posted a pic of Sam and Alyssa canoodling in a hallway, so I guess that means Alyssa's going to Paraguay, too? How close are the Campanas to Miami? Maybe she's just visiting, or they're hosting the Mortons, but I inferred that they were staying in a hotel. I'm off to reexamine these pictures now. :think:

There was a picture of Lise on her brother's instagram a few weeks ago, and she's definitely pregnant too.

The "nontraditional mission" trip is curious to me. None of the family parents seem to be going, but members of the larger Campana family have made several international adoptions in the past. If it weren't for the rather odd fact that it's only the "kids" going on this trip, I'd assume it was for an adoption. If they aren't going for a mission, and aren't going for an adoption, that leaves... vacation? Maybe volunteer work? The Mortons allowed Andrew to travel to Germany and France for two weeks to visit with Kennedy prior to their wedding. I'm getting the impression that they are becoming FAR more open-minded about the lifestyles of their adult children. Letting a group of unmarried teens and adults head off to another country for at least six months with at least one courting couple in the mix? That's something that NEVER would have happened back in the days of the original S'morton courtships.

For the record, I assume that Kennedy and Andrew had chaperones most of the time, and that the Paraguay group will probably supervise Alyssa and Sam while they are away from home too. I also assume that Alyssa and Sam's engagement was announced so quickly because their travel plans necessitated something more decisive than a "courtship". But it's still new and unexpected behavior for the Smortonpanas.

[Escapefromfundiedom]

She said non traditional missions? Yeah, if I had to guess its going to involve farming/learning about farming/teaching farming. Or maybe building??

And I highly doubt that the parents aren't going...the would definitely be a departure from s'morton SOP.

[Pixie_Ham]

I was curious about this so decided to enlist my sister on an instagram sleuthing mission. Seriously, it's scary how much stuff she can find out about people. So a couple of the Morton brothers, John and Andrew I think, follow a Chaco Paraguay account. When you go on it a few of the pics have comments from various S'Mortons so my guess is they are headed to this region of Paraguay. Further sleuthing found a comment from Kressant on a Paraguay website asking for more information about moving there.

It also seems that Rachel is with the group, and so I'm assuming that means Wesley too, because there was a comment stating she thought the embassy was pretty. But interestingly Kressant and Michael jnr. seem to have stayed at 'Calathora'. My guess is that the whole family Ma & Pa, unmarried sons and Addie, are going to the Chaco region in Paraguay because of farming. With some of the others travelling along too.

I also stumbled across an article in the Guardian which was about Mennonites getting in trouble in Paraguay for clearing too much rainforest to make their ranches. Whilst I know the Mortons aren't Mennonite it's interesting that there's a sizable group of 'fundies' in the country already. My sister thinks they're testing out a move so they can become even more 'cult-like' and hide Addie away from prospective husbands, her words not mine! She was sort of weirded out by all those blonde grandkids and married siblings.

[Seven Severn]

Wow. Great sleuthing by your sister, Pixie_Ham! Thanks to her!

Kressant's question about moving seems pretty revealing. Just looking around it seems that Paraguay is not LGBT friendly so that might be a factor in favor for the Mortons. The Chaco region is semi-arid and is being rapidly deforested. Eco tourism in the area is in its nascent stages. Reading the description on Wiki the area sounds really lovely.

[halcionne]

Rachel just commented that she and her family are joining the group tomorrow, with five kids and 24 pieces of luggage. Addie posted a hashtag at one point saying there were 14 people in her group at the consulate. That makes 21 Mortons so far, heading to Paraguay. Are they founding their own village?! :D

ETA Mama and Papa Morton are pictured on the plane with Addie leaving Miami. This isn't just a trip for young Mortons.

[LurkerOverThePond]

Okay, now please tell me this isn't a Jim Jones -type of exodus to South America...?!?!

[JillyO]

I'm so sorry, people of Paraguay. :(

[halcionne]

I can't stop looking at her insta. She's practically live IG-ing the trip. They are maybe a couple of hours into an eight hour layover in Panama and she packed her sewing machine in a carry on bag. She and her followers don't seem to have flown much (or ever) and they're all blown away by seeing clouds and the sunrise from a new "blessed" perspective. It's kind of cute, actually; my mom was like that. One follower said the first time she saw the view from above the clouds she told the person next to her it proved god is real. I'm glad I put out anti-social vibes when traveling and don't have people saying things like that to me. :?

[Seven Severn]

I've checked the listings for land and farms for sale in Colquitt County (where Calathora is located) and the farm doesn't seem to be for sale. In checking county property records it's interesting that only Michael is on the deed. He purchased the property in March of '95 and there are currently four single family houses on the compound. It's 128.6 acres and the western and eastern extremes are heavily treed. They're able to do a lot of raising of crops and livestock on the remaining acreage. Also, Michael owns a property in town, but the mailing address for it just lists Jeanne and the Calathora address. It's classified as commercial. There's a sign at the edge of the property for an accounting firm on site -- Tucker, Plymel and Davis, P.C. So, rental property, probably. Jeanne really needs to get her name on these deeds. Thus endeth your Morton property update. Now, off to make lunch.

[Black Aliss]

Kressant posted last month to a site devoted to information on moving to and living in Latin America "Trying to move to Paraguay. Would like any information concerning this process. Thanks!"

This is the family where the men posed for a wedding photo with all of their automatic weapons. It's a family that watched the debate between Ken Ham and Bill Nye and thrilled to how Ham shot down Nye.

I'm sure they were upset over the SCOTUS ruling in favor of same-sex marriage.

As adorable as they all are, they are also nucking futs. I wouldn't be surprised if their wing-nuttiness has turned to fear that Obama will come for their guns, round them up into FEMA camps, and force them to gay-marry.

[Flyinthesoup]

OK, this sounds exactly like what I was hearing last year and earlier this year. The families going were planning to stay for several months, first, with the hopes of moving there. I doubt the people I heard from, know the Morton's, but they definitely have some similar values. Crazy! :o

[Black Aliss]

OK, this sounds exactly like what I was hearing last year and earlier this year. The families going were planning to stay for several months, first, with the hopes of moving there. I doubt the people I heard from, know the Morton's, but they definitely have some similar values. Crazy! :o

Is it too much to hope that this becomes a fundie thing--moving to Paraguay?

[libriatrix]

oh, WOW. Was anyone else's first thought about how drastically this will decrease poor Addie's already tiny pool of marriage prospects?

[Seven Severn]

I'm sure they were upset over the SCOTUS ruling in favor of same-sex marriage.

As adorable as they all are, they are also nucking futs. I wouldn't be surprised if their wing-nuttiness has turned to fear that Obama will come for their guns, round them up into FEMA camps, and force them to gay-marry.

Obama's term is up in 2017 so they'd only have to hang on for a little while longer and one of their guys could win the election and make everything better. :wink-kitty:

Yeah, poor Addie. Maybe another transplanted fundie family will have an eligible son.

ETA: Just found this about living in Paraguay under the radar. The country has very lenient residency requirements it seems: http://www.qwealthreport.com/update-par ... investing/ Don't know how legit any of this is, but if this is true then I can see why they chose Paraguay over other countries.

ETA2: because I fucked up the quoting.

[Black Aliss]

ETA: Just found this about living in Paraguay under the radar. The country has very lenient residency requirements it seems: http://www.qwealthreport.com/update-par ... investing/ Don't know how legit any of this is, but if this is true then I can see why they chose Paraguay over other countries.

Sounds like a Libertarian's paradise:

Paraguay has long had absolutely no income tax, so Paraguayans certainly don’t have that unpleasant ‘taxpayer culture’ that has permeated many western nations. You don’t need to worry here about being perceived as anti-social or evil because you don’t pay taxes – Paraguay is like the US decades ago, where citizens are used to standing on their own two feet.