Thursday, February 16, 2017

Dillards Headed Back to Central America

The Dillards at Dan Dillard's recent wedding
A couple weeks ago, we shared that Jill and Derick Dillard had plans to return to Central America after being in the United States since early August. Just a few minutes ago, the missionary couple announced that all systems are go and they are preparing for the trip back.

"We are excited to be back to the work our hearts love so much," the Dillards write in a note on their website. From the early stages of our lives, the Lord has put a deep love and care in both of our hearts for all peoples of the world that they would come to repentance and put their hope in the Lord, Jesus Christ."

In addition to serving in the location where they are stationed, Jill and Derick also make weekly trips to villages plagued by violence to provide skills training and Bible studies to adults, as well as children's programs. They express their gratitude to those who have partnered with them in prayer and through financial contributions, and they share their need for additional monetary support. (Click here to be redirected to their donations page.)

"In addition to the ministry outreach expenses, there are always monthly expenses for groceries, utilities, fuel, healthcare, etc," the Dillards write. "We have always purposed to live a frugal lifestyle and continue to do so in the mission field. When you give a donation to our ministry, you are helping our family cover living expenses to be able to remain on the field and helping reach so many precious lives."

Jill, Derick, and Israel Dillard will return home for the birth of their second son, due in July.

Photo courtesy dillardfamily.com

109 comments:

  1. Are there any concerns about Zika virus down there?

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  2. I am surpised they would return while Jill is pregnant. Where the Zika virus is high and dangerous for pregnant mothers. When they returned home back in august they said one thing that would keep them from returning is if she got pregnant again. I hope they stay save.

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  3. God bless your family for all you do for HIs kingdom

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  4. How about taking care of yourselves first, so you're healthy enough to be taking care of others?

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  5. congrats to the Dillards for being able to accomplish their life-long goals! I wish them a safe trip :)

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  6. I am in no way trying to start something, be critical, and am not a "hater", but why do the Dillards need donations for the next couple of months ( they will be back for Jill to deliver) when they have been living free for the last 6 months? They also receive very nice paychecks from their TLC appearances and magazine articles. I would have thought they would have been using those opportunities to support their missions trips? Anyway, hope all goes well, and Jill ventures outside her home this time:)

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    1. What is wrong with being critical?9

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    2. Are they using the money to support themselves or for supplies for the mission? If it's just for themselves I agree but if it's for supplies for the people in these poverty stricken areas then I think it's a beautiful thing

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  7. I love this blog, and i follow it every day. But i don`t like it to be used to beg for money...

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  8. have they already left?

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  9. So their mission is to convert. Glad to finally have that cleared up.

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    1. Only God does the converting. They share the gospel and it's up to the individual if he or she wants to receive the gift of eternal life which is free.

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    2. That's been known for years. Where have you been? Missionaries spread the Gospel.

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  10. I'll pray for them!

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  11. May God bless you and your family and may He shine His face upon you and keep you all safe.

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  12. They provide skills training? On what? Pinterest-inspired baby shower decor making? How to raise money for questionable causes? Living a life of leisure through reality TV income?

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    1. If you knew anything about this family (the children and their life focus on religion and helping others) I don't think you would make the comments you are making.

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    2. Thank you, 12:16.

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    3. We DO know about this family. We've read what they've written, we've heard what they've said, we've watched what they've done, and we know who they look up to. THAT is what gives us the right to question things that don't seem to fit!

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  13. Frugal? They think they live a frugal lifestyle? Talk to my 70 year old friend who has to live on $700 a month Social Security. She has to have a roommate in order to make the rent payment and have any money at all left for groceries and everything else. Guess she needs to get a website with a donate button, but she can't afford a computer, let alone internet. Sorry Dillards, but I don't want to hear your moaning about having to take donations, when TLC is sending your wife checks for being on camera, and her parents are those famous debt-free millionaires. Plus you have the physical ability to work! Not everyone does.

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    1. You are correct.
      I thought the entire purpose of Derick and Ben dragging the babies to wedding dress shop was so that Jessa AND Ben Jill AND Derick all four got paid to shop on camera for Jingers dress. The men had zero business on that trip except to collect fees from TLC for filming.

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    2. There are enough people here in the states that could use help.

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    3. I would love to live their frugality with $24,000 in 4 months!! Who claims to be frugal making 6 grand a month??

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    4. "Frugal" isn't a reference to how much money you make. It refers to how your attitude toward spending. A millionaire can be more frugal than a person making much less money.

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    5. So Derick and Jill want to be those "frugal" millionaires. That makes perfect sense!

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  14. I hope this post comes before all the naysayer comments. Dillard family, Blessings to you all as you rightly & confidently follow the call of the Lord on your lives. It is clear that you understand the physical, emotional risk you take on in your obedience; but this fellow follower of Christ lifts you up in prayer and is proud of your obedience and faith despite the temptation of fear that keeps so many from walking courageously in faith. I pray for peace, health, safety and above all that message of forgiveness and love of Christ be evident & clear and that many will come to salvation as you serve.

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    1. What a kind intelligent reply...it does seem that they know what is best for them

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    2. They are following their hearts for God. They are being obedient to God. Everyone ive ever met that are missionaries ALL raise money to go on these trips. While you are very kind in your post, so many are not stopping to think, "what does God want Jill and Derick to do?" If he sends you, he will protect you. If he calls you home then your work on earth is done. Let us stop judging and start trusting that Jill and Derick are doing the will of God. God bless this precious little family!

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  15. Hope you have safe travels!! Good Luck in Central America

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  16. I can see your love for our heavenly father. Praying for your safe return. God Bless

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  17. I know the general public is always screaming for the Dillards to return to the mission field, but I think all of us who are truly fans of the Duggar family really hate to see them return at this time. Jill is pregnant, there is Zika virus in Central America, and she had a C-section after a difficult labor. Also, flying late in the third trimester is never recommended, and that's what she'll be doing when she returns home close to her due date. Not to mention the dangers of where they are going. It just seems unnecessary to take these risks. I will pray for them everyday, but by the Grace of God I hope they change their minds.

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  18. So at least they admit they use donations for Thier own expenses. No wonder that donate button is HUGE.

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    1. As if we didn't know who was using those donations before. I didn't see any of those "helped" villagers living anywhere near the way Jill & Derick were. Remember the mud hut floors they reported? Vs. Jill's air-conditioned brand new tile floors with the sparkling appliances on top.

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    2. If they don't have paying jobs while they're down there, they need a means of support. You guys don't need to donate if you don't want to.

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  19. Please expand more on the skills training that Jill and Derick provide these remote villagers.

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  20. God bless as you follow the Lord.

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  21. YOU are putting your children in danger! I would never fund this, ever. Shame on you!

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  22. How much do these plane tickets cost to fly back and forth?

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  23. I wouldn't send any money to support them since all they do is fly back to the states for visits!

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  24. I'm a big fan of the couple, but I just don't think going back while she's pregnant is very smart. However, I love their hearts for working in the mission field, there willing to risk it all :)

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  25. They receive over 20-50k per ep and the sent paying rent in central America. I find it hard to believe they need all these donations. They mentioned if people dontated 2400 total..that's one ep, they can afford it by themselves. Duggars parents are millionaires..

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  26. What about zika? or do they don't care it seems

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  27. Super disappointed......ministry is important but your unborn child should be your priority
    Just my opinion

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  28. Why don't they do deputation like other missionaries? I know you don't get to the field as quickly, but you have your support when you go to the field.

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  29. Thanks to your family for doing The Lord's charge and having a Willi g heart. God bless ya'll!

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  30. That's so sad. Wish they would stay home

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  31. Please reconsider. The Zika virus!

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  32. I don't understand why Jill and Derick need donations for their living expenses. They probably make at least $20k per episode, they are asking for $24k for their entire term, so they can just take the proceeds from their television show to pay for their expenses. Not to mention that $24k seems like an awful lot considering they live in a house built by SOS and the cost of living is ridiculously cheap in Central America. Can Jill and Derick list some organizations that also do outreach in Central America? I want to help but I do not feel comfortable giving my money to an individual, particularly an individual who does not release their tax returns for their ministry.

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  33. I respect the way Derrick at least tries to make an honest living. He could easily have let stardom get to him and set around and collect easy money from interviews, magazine covers, and publicity arrangements. Being a missionary sounds dangerous even. I do pray you all will remain safe. I do wish Izzy didn't have to go or Jill being pregnant, but I understand that is not the way it works. Now, I see your guys' hearts are in the right place! Much love.😘

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    1. What is "honest" about making a living by asking people to just hand you $24,000 for the next few months???

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  34. What skills training will they be providing, especially given their low Spanish skills? And wouldn't donations go further if provided directly to local groups where volunteers won't jet back and forth every couple of months to film a TV show?

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  35. I personally do not agree with them going overseas while Jill is pregnant (especially with Zika being so big in South America) and while they have a young child but its's their choice I wish them the best!!

    Can you please update us all on Josh and Anna? I have heard that Anna is filling for divorce and suing Josh (and in turn the Duggar parents) for a large sum of cash? That Anna doesn't trust him anymore so she will not have marital relations with him anymore. I really hope that this isn't true!!

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    1. Despite what the Duggars call it, going to Central America is not traveling "overseas."

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    2. I heard these rumors too. Also a rumor about the couple being sued. So I would also like an update.

      Anyway I wish Jill luck on her mission and for her to keep safe.

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  36. Blessings to your family, as you go and share the good news!

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  37. They are asking for $40 from 600 people, or a total of $24,000. For "this term." Before they come back and have the baby here? So 3 months, 4 at the very most (March, April, May, June) and they need $6000 - $8000 for each month. To live in a house built for them by the parent mission organization. How many of you live on less than that each month, including paying for your own housing? How many of you have a reality show on top of a donation button on your website?

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  38. Why are they going to Central America again to visit those "villages hard hit by violence" ONCE a week? I'd pay for two plane tickets for them to go to Chicago, or maybe St. Louis, if they want to combat violence. They wouldn't have to wait for once a week to do their work there.

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    1. It can be scary, especially if there is gang violence. They could end up being an unintended target.

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    2. Great idea, 4:06!

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    3. The Dillards are well protected when the venture out for the once of week visits.

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  39. Sadly, Jill never appeared excited to be down there. She actually seemed very unhappy there. You can tell how much she has perked up since being back in the U.S. Since they venture into areas with a lot of violence, it's hard to understand why they keep putting themselves on TV as celebrities. Seems they would be real targets for a kidnapping for ransom.

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  40. God bless and protect the Dillards as they follow God's will for their lives.

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  41. Thanks but I will be continue to make my donations to Operation Smile. This is a charity that helps make children's lives better through medical assistance. I have my own household to support, I don't need to support Jill and Derick's too. My advice? Don't get yourselves involved in something if you can't pay your own way.

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    1. Best comment on the page.

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    2. I foster 2 children overseas. The money is spent to help the communities they live in, support educational programs etc..

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  42. Wow does Derrick look like a skeleton. I can't believe he is going back to a place with substandard medical facilities. Clearly he is in desperate need of help. It's scary how he looks. Just wow.

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    1. I dont see anything of what you see in Derick. He looks the same as always. He has his hair pulled back which may easily change the appearance of one's face. But no he does not at all look ill. I think people who say that should post a picture of themself on here and then all of us readers can critique the pic, hehe.

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    2. How can you possibly not see a difference?? It has nothing to do with judging superficial aesthetics... he absolutely appears sick. He looks like a completely different person!

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  43. I understand the commitment but I don't understand taking that risk being pregnant no matter how short the stay.
    Our prayers are with them despite the choice.

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  44. If Derick and Jill want me to support them in their "mission" they had better be a bit more forthcoming on what exactly they have accomplished already. They had also better get their story straight; they either go to remote, dangerous villages every week or Jill stays at home with Israel. We have been told countless times that poor Jill spends all her time inside their house with a toddler because it's so dangerous.

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    1. You can always support them with prayer, if not with donations, right?

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  45. I have contributed to this mission in the past but will have to discontinue my donations. I have asked and asked for some details on what has been accomplished by Jill and Derick but haven't received any response. I feel betrayed

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  46. The Bible says every person in the world will hear the word of God.....I know its not the easiest thing to do especially with all the criticism. But we don't answer to man we answer to God. God Bless

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    1. Yes but the people in Central America are already Christians. They have already heard the Word of God.

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    2. Where in my comment did I say Central America are not Christians? They are going where they believe God wants them... as I said......they answer to God. Thank the Lord... BINGO

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    3. 2:05 PM, with all due respect, I'm not sure you understand what a Christian is. It's not a person who lives in a country that's predominantly Catholic. It's a person who has decided to follow Jesus.

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  47. I hope they have made sure to return at least 1 month before Jill's due date, since airlines can refuse carriage in the last month of pregnancy!! This is tempting fate! Do God's work in the US!! Derick, get well first!!

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  48. May the Lord richly bless the Dillard's ministry.

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  49. A poster with commen sense. God bless you AND the Dillards for Trusting and obeying Gods commands. HE will protect this precious little family. Please consider, all readers, we do not know everything about thier finances and why they need to ask for donations. Let's just trust them. Sending my love to the Dillards family AND to the Duggars. ����

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  50. I give to St. Jude and Ronald McDonald House and to my church where I'm a member. They are the closest things to my heart. I know this is what the Dillard's want too do, but if this doesn't work out, they do have other good options. They will not end up in the poorhouse.

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  51. They should be a lot more clear about how long this "term" will be, for the amount of money requested. My church sponsors a missionary family with 3 kids in Honduras for $1500/month which covers all their personal expenses (food, housing, transportation, and one trip back home per year). It's very cheap to live there. They send out biweekly bulletins are so diligent to tell us how every penny is spent.

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    1. God bless those who give freely without concern for how every penny is spent.

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    2. As in like they send their grocery receipts or what? Seems like they could better spend their the spreading the gospel than adding up grocery costs every week, just me though...

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    3. If they are going to claim to be a charitable organization, then the IRS requires them to release a public accounting of how the money is used. We have not seen Derick & Jill's for last year. Even if it did come out, I'd question it. It's not hard to keep two sets of books, one for the IRS and one for yourself.

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  52. Frugal?? Talk to me about living frugally. I've been there. Where is all the Spanish they have supposedly learned. All Jill says is "papi, hola and beso." Just wondering.

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  53. The amount of money they are asking for is way too much to not be releasing information about how they're using it! Is this really how other missionaries support themselves? It just seems wrong.

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  54. Prayers for the safety of the Dillards.Prayers for Israel and baby Dillard are needed especially since the Zika virus is still being mentioned. Wouldn't it be better for Jill and Israel to stay in Arkansas until the baby is born?
    Joan,Marion an Marilyn

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  55. I give to St. Jude's hospital too. They turn NO PATIENT AND FAMILY AWAY. They treat and minister all, regardless OF RELIGION AND ABILTY TO PAY. Now, that's God's work if you ask me.

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    1. Does Shriners Hospital do it too?

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  56. Do either of them consider the health of their small children or Derick???

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  57. They are crazy going there while pregnant. I'm a nurse and zika can affect the baby in the womb and can show no signs at all until after birth (doesn't help that Dillard's are not seeing doctor just midwife's). Very selfish

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  58. Who exactly paid for their 3 airline tickets?

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  59. Just figured out that if a charitable organization receives more than $25k in donations then they have to file a tax return (Form 990) and make it available to the public. The Dillards are asking for $24k not because they need that specific amount but because they want as much as they can get without having to show us how they spend the money.

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  60. Did Derrick ever find out anything about his gaggy problem..
    .and get started on any medication at all ? .?

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    1. They didn't follow up with that or Jill's artery problem either.

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  61. Friend please help remind me.

    When we speak of the dangers of the mission field I always think it's exaggerated. However, I will rethink that position if you help me remember David wallers brother ls tragic death. Was he actually in the foreign country his family was working in? Does anyone remember the details? It may make me take their dangers more seriously if I get the Waller story corrct

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    1. The Waller son died of previously undiagnosed cancer. They were in Mongolia, if I remember correctly. Being in the states may, or may not have made a difference in what happened. It didn't seem that anyone in that large family noticed any symptoms in this young man, so they may not have gotten him proper medical attention regardless of where they were in the world.

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  62. Interesting,they have a minimum donation.. $5.00. So,if someone can only afford, say $4.00 a month, nope... not enough. For some people, even in the US, $5 a month is a lot of money.

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  63. Prays for them hope all works out jill has always said she wanted to do this and derrick yes if is not safe but i could walk out my door and get hit by a car so give some respect at least there helping others cant say that about everyone be safe guys

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    1. SOS provides armed guards. We've seen them many times.

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  64. Praying for you Jill and Derick and family. Hope they found answers with Jill's carotid sounds, for her and for the precious life she carries.

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