John Shrader 21: Nine Years in Zambia and Still Failing

[Howl]

1 hour ago, postscript said:

This family is every bit as enmeshed and isolated as the Rodrigui. 

This is what is so damn depressing about these mega families fathered by preacher grifters.  The sons are rudderless with no role model on how to move into adulthood and make a living doing anything besides preaching grifting.  They don't know how to get a job or start a business to support themselves and their future mega families.  They haven't been socialized to be at ease out in the world. 

Being called to preach is a special dealio with special status.  Working for a living just doesn't have the same cachet. 

The Shrader boys could go to trade school and acquire a skill. They won't. They won't even aspire to Bible college, because their dad never went to Bible college. (At least I don't think he did.) 

 

 

Edited May 12, 2023 by Howl

[Xan]

1 hour ago, Bluebirdbluebell said:

@Xan Did Daniel Keller seem okay? He had an accident of some kind in 2019/2020? He had a cane or something at Nurie's wedding.

Rick only noted that Daniel was there.  We didn't see him on camera.

1 hour ago, postscript said:

Unfortunately, they probably left at least one son and one daughter behind to do the grunt work while John thinks deep thinky thoughts, writes horrible poetry, and pontificates for hours on end to the patient Zambians.

This is a really perfect description of how John spends his time.

[Xan]

John is back to posting on Facebook.  There was a wreck (not the Shraders) and John blames it on the devil.  He's looking forward to the Mears coming in 25 days.  And he continues to feel persecuted because some church withdrew support.  "They changed what they had professed they believed to me."  I guess John's lack of results tends to bother people who are considering sending him money.

Spoiler

 

[Xan]

I'm now totally confused.  John posted that Esther and Agape had been preparing for a women's celebration there in Zambia.  Maybe she and John sent Alatheia and some of the other children over to the USA?  It isn't at all helpful that John just considers Esther and the children to be extensions of himself and never explains what they're doing.  Could they have sent the older boys over to explore educations/spouses/jobs?  

Maybe I'll wait and see if Daddy Rick can clear this up.

Spoiler

 

[Ozlsn]

On 5/13/2023 at 6:44 AM, Xan said:

Wade Mears preached at the church on Sunday.  Part of the message was that people -- particularly young people -- don't like the hard truth preached to them.  It was a Bro Gary message but in actual English.

It always surprises me that people who can communicate in coherent English believe and spout this crap. As to "hard truth" being preached at them - amazing how the top of the hierarchy still don't like hearing "love one another" 2000 years on.

7 hours ago, Xan said:

He's looking forward to the Mears coming in 25 days.  And he continues to feel persecuted because some church withdrew support.  "They changed what they had professed they believed to me."  I guess John's lack of results tends to bother people who are considering sending him money.

Oh no, a church has changed what they professed to believe to John! I do wonder if maybe John has siloed himself into an ever narrower set of beliefs and churches are waking up and going "... that's not what we thought we were supporting, nor is it in line with our beliefs. Also this guy should have planted and returned by now, surely."

[gustava]

Wonder how  long it will be before John and the Mears become disillusioned with each other?  6 months?  And jeez-o-pete....lose those "Zambian" shirts!  Why do white saviors think they are appropriate!?!?!?!?

[Gobsmacked]

On 5/12/2023 at 11:13 PM, postscript said:

Unfortunately, they probably left at least one son and one daughter behind to do the grunt work while John thinks deep thinky thoughts, writes horrible poetry, and pontificates for hours on end to the patient Zambians. I wish some of the kids had come over with the goal of staying in he US for a while. I would like to see the older kids get some higher education, even if it’s only unaccredited Bible college. Starting a career other than preaching would be good, too. This family is every bit as enmeshed and isolated as the Rodrigui. 

“Bro Gary message but in actual English” would be a perfect thread title. 

“John thinks deep thinky thoughts” is brilliant. A definite contender as a thread title. ❤️

[Botkinetti]

22 hours ago, gustava said:

Wonder how  long it will be before John and the Mears become disillusioned with each other?  6 months?  And jeez-o-pete....lose those "Zambian" shirts!  Why do white saviors think they are appropriate!?!?!?!?

I think 6 months might be overly optimistic.
If people want to talk to the Mears because they are new and if  Mears keeps his sermons to a reasonable length John is going to get pissed off quickly. John will then start to question Mears doctrine in a frantic attempt to regain moral superiority.

[gustava]

17 minutes ago, Botkinetti said:

I think 6 months might be overly optimistic.
If people want to talk to the Mears because they are new and if  Mears keeps his sermons to a reasonable length John is going to get pissed off quickly. John will then start to question Mears doctrine in a frantic attempt to regain moral superiority.

Driving the ISB with mad abandon:  Could John  be planning to turn over the "ministry" to the Mears and return to Texas to take over Daddy's church?

[Xan]

1 hour ago, gustava said:

Driving the ISB with mad abandon:  Could John  be planning to turn over the "ministry" to the Mears and return to Texas to take over Daddy's church?

I think that's doubtful.  Rick wouldn't trust him with the money.  And I think he's tried having John be an associate pastor before and it didn't work out.  I think Mears has been sent as a minder for John because Rick isn't getting any younger and John is still a mess.  Also, I think the local Zambians think of John as a novelty and tolerate his too-long sermons and overbearing attitude.  Nobody back in Katy, Texas is going to tolerate that.

[Xan]

I appears that Timothy, Alatheia, and possibly Enoch were dispatched to the USA.  Timothy plays the piano at Rick's church for their performance and then he preaches.  I appears that they possibly didn't send the boys with appropriate clothing.  Timothy's shirt collar is sticking out.  And I don't know what they've done to his hair.

Spoiler

 

[snickerz]

Hopefully these 3 are going to stay in the US with grandma & grandpa. They are (almost) 18, 19, & 20 so they need to figure out their adult lives. 

[Gobsmacked]

1 hour ago, snickerz said:

Hopefully these 3 are going to stay in the US with grandma & grandpa. They are (almost) 18, 19, & 20 so they need to figure out their adult lives. 

Possibly they have reached/are reaching the age of needing their own Visas? 

[postscript]

19 hours ago, Gobsmacked said:

“John thinks deep thinky thoughts” is brilliant. A definite contender as a thread title. ❤️

Thank you! I call them as I see them. John does more navel-gazing than a freshman philosophy student. 

[Ozlsn]

9 hours ago, gustava said:

Driving the ISB with mad abandon:  Could John  be planning to turn over the "ministry" to the Mears and return to Texas to take over Daddy's church?

Much as it would amuse me to see John completely run his father's church into the ground I doubt that will happen.  Rick knows John is, um, divisive and incompetent and keeps him as far away as possible. John also needs that sweet "adoration" he thinks he's getting as the White Saviour To The Poor Zambians, so he probably won't return either until he's either forced out by Zambia or can't afford to live there either.

8 hours ago, snickerz said:

Hopefully these 3 are going to stay in the US with grandma & grandpa. They are (almost) 18, 19, & 20 so they need to figure out their adult lives. 

I really hope they are in the US to get some education or training with no plans to return soon, and not just there to be married off (really hope not in Alathiea's case). 

8 hours ago, Xan said:

I appears that Timothy, Alatheia, and possibly Enoch were dispatched to the USA.  Timothy plays the piano at Rick's church for their performance and then he preaches.  I appears that they possibly didn't send the boys with appropriate clothing.  Timothy's shirt collar is sticking out.  And I don't know what they've done to his hair.

  Hide contents

 

Mildly amused that I read "He is leading, Will we follow?" to mean "John is leading, will we follow?" and thought "hell no!"

[Howl]

On 5/15/2023 at 5:23 PM, Ozlsn said:

Rick knows John is, um, divisive and incompetent and keeps him as far away as possible.

Accurate!  I do wonder if the oldest three will become "interns" at Rick's church and gradually work their way up. 

Or course, it's possible the two oldest boys have been indoctrinated by their father to be insanely dogmatic and impossible to get along with, so Rick would inherit two mini Johns. 

[gustava]

13 hours ago, Howl said:

Accurate!  I do wonder if the oldest three will become "interns" at Rick's church and gradually work their way up. 

Or course, it's possible the two oldest boys have been indoctrinated by their father to be insanely dogmatic and impossible to get along with, so Rick would inherit two mini Johns. 

Do two mini Johns equal one Porta Potty?

[Howl]

On 3/26/2023 at 9:31 AM, Xan said:

The local people who have to deal with him surely have a lot of stories to tell.

A few of his earliest male converts became seriously disaffected and went on social media to out John as an obnoxious, intemperate fraud. 

John frets and whinges and has come *this close* to seeing himself for the arrogant ass that he is, then defaults to unfair persecution by Satan because his Biblical Baptist doctrine is so f**king pure. 

Edited May 23, 2023 by Howl

[FleeJanaFree]

Esther is Anna’s oldest sister, right? I remember reading an AMA from someone who knew the family and they said the oldest daughter full out sobbed for three days when her parents told her who she was marrying. It was a “testimony” to her sisters that parents know best even if you have reservations.

shit, I’d sob a lot more than 3 days if I was told I had to marry john . Yikes on bikes 

Edited May 23, 2023 by FleeJanaFree

[Xan]

John is continuing to post about being unpopular because he's such an ass his convictions are so strong.   Any minute now, I expect him to break into a biblical equivalent of the juvenile song, "Nobody Likes Me, Everybody Hates Me, I'm Going to Go Eat Worms"...

Spoiler

 

[Ozlsn]

Saw this NPR story online the other day and this paragraph jumped out:

In fact, Musafiri had come from Lusaka — the capital of Zambia, a city of more than 3 million people. A city, he says, that was "70%" like Memphis, Tenn., his new home: People ate pizza and fast food. The streets looked fairly similar. Giraffes, for the most part, did not factor into everyday life.

And I was instantly reminded that John lives quite close to a KFC...

Also the Mears arrive June 7th... which is getting close. We should start a sweep on the breakup date with John. I'm going... Sept 30th.

[Howl]

Several people have come to work with John and sunk without a trace (remember the Canadian guy?) or bought into John's ministry and grandiose plans* big time only to leave thoroughly disillusioned, and those are the ones we know about. 

*da plane, da plane! library! seminary! chickens! printers! 

(Is John still printing those useless tracts?)

John's meme posted by @Xan: "Is it better to speak the truth that hurts than falsehoods that comfort?"   False f**king dichotomy, John.  You are completely bereft of empathy, compassion, kindness. 

2 hours ago, Ozlsn said:

Saw this NPR story online the other day...

This is a mind-blowing story.  It's about lack of public transportation in a sprawling city like Memphis, TN and how that adversely affects immigrants with no car and the working poor.  Makes me grateful, as a cyclist, that my city has a lot of cycling infrastructure in the form of bike lanes, some dedicated paths.  

Edited May 26, 2023 by Howl

[Xan]

3 hours ago, Ozlsn said:

Also the Mears arrive June 7th... which is getting close. We should start a sweep on the breakup date with John. I'm going... Sept 30th.

I think the Mears will come back to the states for Christmas and never return to Zambia.  I'm going with Dec. 10th.

[Gobsmacked]

4 hours ago, Ozlsn said:

Saw this NPR story online the other day and this paragraph jumped out:

In fact, Musafiri had come from Lusaka — the capital of Zambia, a city of more than 3 million people. A city, he says, that was "70%" like Memphis, Tenn., his new home: People ate pizza and fast food. The streets looked fairly similar. Giraffes, for the most part, did not factor into everyday life.

And I was instantly reminded that John lives quite close to a KFC...

Also the Mears arrive June 7th... which is getting close. We should start a sweep on the breakup date with John. I'm going... Sept 30th.

I’m guessing October 20th. 

[NoneIsEnough]

I'll go with June 9.   They get one day to get settled.  

Haha, kidding. I don't have an exact date in mind, but I'll say by the end of the year the Mears will be re-packing up their storage container and leaving John for good. Whether that's back to the US or to somewhere else in Zambia, who knows. Maybe they'll end up with the other guy in Zambia who was John's first partner. Wouldn't that be a slap in the face!