Dillards 43: Tweeting for God

[AtlanticTug]

It always ALWAYS bothers me that missionaries target the weakest/most susceptible populations. If you are an international student from a very poor country like Afghanistan or Albania and so far away from home and with little personal support, then you're more likely to fall prey to people willing to feed you and slowly indoctrinate you as well. The whole "bible in one hand and plate of food in the other" is such an old trick used by colonizing missionaries and the international student angle is just a modern take on it.

[bekkah]

On 11/1/2017 at 12:23 PM, zygote373 said:

I'm originally from Minnesota, and the deep fried food on a stick at our state fair is a Thing. I normally eat pretty healthy, but I miss the annual pig-out at the fair. My favorite is the deep fried milky way, and these battered potatoes covered in ranch dressing and nacho cheese that are fried but not on a stick. Mmmm. I don't think we have deep fried butter. You'd have to go to Iowa for that.

I may miss it, but my stomach is glad to be far away. I can only survive by going with multiple people to help me eat everything, and I feel disgusting for at least 24 hours afterwards. Worth it, though.

I can literally only go to the fair every other year. I love the food but I want to just go eat once and it is so expensive. 

I have had a deep fried peanut butter cup, it was ok. I wouldn't get it again. I LOVE the lefse though and the cheese curds and sweet martha's cookies. 

Only Iowans would think of deep frying butter. 

 

You should come back sometime for the MN get together! I have friends who live elsewhere who plan to come back during those 10 days so they can go to the fair. 

[zygote373]

7 minutes ago, bekkah said:

You should come back sometime for the MN get together! I have friends who live elsewhere who plan to come back during those 10 days so they can go to the fair. 

I have been back once since I moved away! I plan to keep doing it once every 5 years or so. Not worth the plane fare and vacation time every year, but definitely worth the occasional trip.

[bekkah]

11 minutes ago, zygote373 said:

I have been back once since I moved away! I plan to keep doing it once every 5 years or so. Not worth the plane fare and vacation time every year, but definitely worth the occasional trip.

I love the fair, I just can't go more than once in two years. My dad has coworkers who go every day of the fair.  .. 

[apandaaries]

17 hours ago, Sister Mozz said:

This comes across as dehumanizing. Afghanistan is misspelled, and it certainly appears as if they are seeing these students as numbers rather than living, breathing individuals. Wait, do the Duggars even believe in living, breathing individuals?? 

I was watching an old episode on YouTube where they went to Disneyland.  After Disney, they stayed with another large family which also relied on disposable plates and cups.  In that family, they no longer wrote names on cups, just numbers.  MEchelle appeared to be quite interested in adopting a numerical system.

Their outreach is shitty AF, but their ability to dehumanize people, while praying for them, was learned early at home, I believe.

[Buzzard]

15 minutes ago, amandaaries said:

MEchelle appeared to be quite interested in adopting a numerical system.

Names are hard, you have to remember them.  Numbers are easy, there are only 19 choices and they dont change!

[VelociRapture]

23 minutes ago, Buzzard said:

Names are hard, you have to remember them.  Numbers are easy, there are only 19 choices and they dont change!

Is this Kelly Bates’ life motto? I feel like it should be. 

[cascarones]

So I thought about this more as I walked to the store and got a bit ragey. I hope Jill is praying that these students are allowed to stay, are allowed to travel to their home countries and see their families over breaks and allowed to come back. Mr. C's parents didn't go back to China for years and years, because it was during the student protests and decided to stay in the US after Tienanmen Square happened (part of his name was inspired by it finally being over). They were allowed that opportunity because President G. H. Bush signed an executive order to protect Chinese nationals and allowed them to stay with extended work visas then via the Chinese Student Protection Act a few years later.

  I cannot see this administration even considering something as compassionate as that and as the Dillards are vocal Trump supporters, it seems so disingenuous for them to be on an international ministry program at all. What do they say? Hi, we're so glad you're here, but really it's because the travel ban didn't get pushed through so we totally think you should still be there, but eat some American Food and learn the right way (our way) to live.  

I'll probably come to my calm place and delete that rant, but I remember being aggravated when I was an international student by another student who just was so pushy about trying to "un-convert" everyone. 

[apandaaries]

Pardon my BEC moment, but the misspelling of "Afghanistan" is particularly shameful for a woman with a missionary mindset. 

Other BEC moments from the old episode I saw on YouTube: Jill said she had such a heart for "Spanish people," meaning the people of Central America who speak Spanish. She'd labeled the house with index cards and Spanish words, and part of that plot was the older children going for a Spanish lesson (I believe with Marjorie's mom). After the class, they went to a Mexican restaurant and harassed the workers by trying to order with their Spanglish.  One of the boys mentioned how Jill needed to learn Spanish so she could "speak to those poor Spanish kids." 

Jill and Derick both seemed to have believed she was truly going to be an excellent missionary wife. Reality and ideals clashed in a big way for those two. 

[neurogirl]

http://www.dillardfamily.com/dillard family blog?ID=35b93b3a-0c2f-4733-a6a6-5669009aaf84

the Dillard family has posted fall family photos, a la the more media savvy fundies. Izzy and Sam look super cute.

 

[Carm_88]

3 minutes ago, neurogirl said:

http://www.dillardfamily.com/dillard family blog?ID=35b93b3a-0c2f-4733-a6a6-5669009aaf84

the Dillard family has posted fall family photos, a la the more media savvy fundies. 

They should have used Taryn maybe she could have blurred out Derick  

[SassyPants]

Derick and Jill’s relationship transition is an exact example of why courtship does not work. Derrick thought he was marrying an adult, but Jill was a complete stranger. Derick did not realize that in Duggarville an adult is just a kid who does the parents’ chores. Derick thought Jill had a heart for the mission field, but Jill’s idea of mission work was a once a year, week long vacation giving out candy and singing Jesus songs. Jill’s idea of speaking Spanish was Hola and eating Frito pie. I wondered if Jill realizes that JB set her up for complete failure in terms of living in the world around her?

 

12 minutes ago, neurogirl said:

http://www.dillardfamily.com/dillard family blog?ID=35b93b3a-0c2f-4733-a6a6-5669009aaf84

the Dillard family has posted fall family photos, a la the more media savvy fundies. 

Poor Jill. She needs Jinger or Jana fashion help, stat!

The Dillard boys are adorbs...just as cute as the Seewald boys!

[Georgiana]

32 minutes ago, SassyPants said:

Derick and Jill’s relationship transition is an exact example of why courtship does not work. Derrick thought he was marrying an adult, but Jill was a complete stranger. Derick did not realize that in Duggarville an adult is just a kid who does the parents’ chores. Derick thought Jill had a heart for the mission field, but Jill’s idea of mission work was a once a year, week long vacation giving out candy and singing Jesus songs. Jill’s idea of speaking Spanish was Hola and eating Frito pie. I wondered if Jill realizes that JB set her up for complete failure in terms of living in the world around her?

I don't often express it because I am usually consumed with rage regarding Derick, but I do feel somewhat for him.  He REALLY thought he was getting someone else with Jill, and courtship hid from him the fact that the woman he was getting was NOT the woman he thought he was signing up for.  Wanting to spend your life as an expat (even an expat "missionary") is a very legitimate lifestyle choice, and finding out after the fact (and assurances to the contrary) that your partner is absolutely unable to live that lifestyle is really rough.  No way around that. I don't necessarily think he's handling it with flying colors, but that's a really rough thing to go through when one partner changes their stance on a major issue post marriage.  

If Derick knew that Jill wasn't able to live outside of AR, I'm honestly not sure he would have married her.  

[bananabread]

2 minutes ago, Georgiana said:

If Derick knew that Jill wasn't able to live outside of AR, I'm honestly not sure he would have married her.  

To be fair: if Jill knew that Derick was going to quit his accountant job, expect her to live permanently in a dangerous and isolated foreign community, and stir up petty controversies at every opportunity, I'm not sure she would have married him either.

[Sister Mozz]

1 hour ago, neurogirl said:

http://www.dillardfamily.com/dillard family blog?ID=35b93b3a-0c2f-4733-a6a6-5669009aaf84

the Dillard family has posted fall family photos, a la the more media savvy fundies. Izzy and Sam look super cute.

 

 

Jill's wardrobe choice....    

[neurogirl]

@bananabread while I doubt Jill could've predicted the twitter hate Derick loves, I agree with @Georgiana. She did "advertise herself" as a missionary. I get the sense that JB told Derick about his beautiful, righteous, pure and godly favorite daughter who had a heart for missions and would love to serve the Lord and her husband by missioning and maybe mid-wifing overseas. 

[bananabread]

10 minutes ago, Sister Mozz said:

Jill's wardrobe choice....    

I actually like the chunky yellow sweater, but not with a weird turtleneck dress/shirt. And that beige skirt??? What??????? Jinger, send help.

He's so freaking cute, but who does Samuel look like?? James? John David? Was he switched at birth? Genetics are a crazy thing.

[Georgiana]

Just now, bananabread said:

To be fair: if Jill knew that Derick was going to quit his accountant job, expect her to live permanently in a dangerous and isolated foreign community, and stir up petty controversies at every opportunity, I'm not sure she would have married him either.

While I see your point, I think she DID know that (or should have known that).  They were ALL about how they were going to be missionaries, which generally means living in less than luxury in a foreign country without a standard job.  Scary America was pretty much EXACTLY what Jill professed to having a heart for in her courtship with Derick.  

I mean, she didn't really understand what she was saying, but I gotta say that's on Jill.  You're going to profess to being "super into" something without doing your research, there's no one to blame but yourself when it comes back to bite you.  

I'm honestly not trying to assign blame because it's just a shitty situation all around.  But Derick didn't spring this lifestyle on Jill.  He was COMPLETELY up front that THIS is what he wanted to do with his life and that he was looking for a partner who could do that with him.  Jill isn't that person.  And it really sucks for everyone involved.  

[VineHeart137]

Anyone want to share a pic of Jill's supposedly questionable wardrobe? I can never see pictures properly on their website (same for the Seewalds).

[BundleofJoy]

@VineHeart137

I think this one shows her outfit the best. To me it looks like she wore the beige skirt underneath the turtleneckdress for extra modesty. The combination of three colors make it look more hodge-podge than necessary. 

Edit to add Izzy and Sam looking cute:

 

[VineHeart137]

Thanks @BundleofJoy! I don't think she looks awful but yeah she's definitely not on Jinger's level, style wise. Izzy and Sam are adorable!

[SamiKatz]

25 minutes ago, BundleofJoy said:

@VineHeart137

 

 

The skirt is above her knees!  

I dont mind her outfoot, and the kids are cute.

 

 

[Seculardaisy]

Jill’s outfit kind of looks like what I would wear if I was going as Michelle Duggar for a Halloween. It reminds me of old high school michelle photos we’ve seen.

 

[AprilQuilt]

I think the cardigan's nice but she's got her knees out! I thought the approved Duggar girl hemline sat just under the knee nowadays.

[nastyhobbitses]

Assuming the hijabi girl Jill's talking to in the C3 photo is Afghan, I wonder what Jill was laughing about in the photo: "LOLOLOL I voted for a guy who wants to kick you out of the country, keep your family from visiting you, and thinks everyone who looks like you and shares your nationality is a threat LOLOLOLOL".

Re the family photos: Jill, honey, I am here for you going full 70s from the waist up (that look really suits you), here for the Converses because those are comfy as fuck, wish you considered a maxi skirt instead. Also wish you and your husband weren't assholes, but that's asking God a little too much, methinks. Your kids are adorable and I am not eager for the day when your parenting choices and beliefs suck all the life out of their big blue eyes.