"...It's scary to me as a mom. [Israel is] a gringo, and he stands out, and with that brings risk."
-Jill Dillard
Are you looking forward to catching up with Jill, Derick, and Israel Dillard in the new season of Counting On (premieres Tuesday, August 23, at 8pm ET/7pm CT)? Viewers will watch as the Dillards work on the mission field in Central America and then head back to the United States for a visit that extends into the fall.
In the following video, Jill and Derick share an inside look into their new lives as missionaries. While filming this update, they were in the middle of a three-day water outage.
Photo/video courtesy of TLC
It is so scary for Jill and her family, hopefully they will stay safe. Jeremy seems lovely, quite interesting that they will move to Texas after their marriage. Big changes for the family. Would love to catch up with all of them soon!
ReplyDeleteWell that sounds scary!!
ReplyDeleteDoesn't Jill realize that she and Derick are "gringoes" too?
ReplyDeleteWhere in the Bible does it say that wives and children should be on the mission field with the men? It seems WAY too risky, and the kids can't really give their consent at such a young age I still love you guys, but I think it's okay to listen to your own fears for your children.
ReplyDeleteAre Jill and Derick coming back to Central America after fall?
ReplyDeleteThat's the plan. :)
DeleteLily and Ellie
You choose to go somewhere, you don't complain. It's an insult to the locals to fuss about the conditions they've had to endure their whole lives. What were Jill & Derick doing to help with the geopolitical instability? They made the local women go out in the dangerous public and come to them, so they themselves would be safer. Wow.
ReplyDeleteYeah, they keep talking about their difficulties, but why don't they talk about the concrete advancements that they've made?
DeleteThe locals don't have the same danger since they're not white. Being kidnapped by their own people is probably not something the locals think about every day.
DeleteThe locals DO have danger, because they're often in gangs who are out to get each other.
DeleteHappy to hear Jill recognize the dangers of being in that country for her AND Israel! It is serious! She looks very tired and worn out; as does Derrick. Certainly, Israel is devolving physically and verbally! Good for him! Time to come back to the states and regroup.
ReplyDeleteI'm not surprised they're back. They never did seem to be happy there, with Jill more unhappy than Derick.
ReplyDeleteIt is a lot of tension they live with. For adults who understand it is one thing, but the child being at risk,is another thing. Even our Lord Jesus was kept safe when His parents went to Eygpt to protect Him. Even Moses mother put him in a basket. I wonder Derick and Jill are thinking? What their reasoning is.
ReplyDeleteThat is a very good point about Mary and Joseph keeping Jesus safe, Moses being protected by his mother. Derick and Jill are taking unnecessary risks with their young son.
DeleteGreat points. But remember, God speaks to all of us differently, and the Dillards may have felt led to take their son.
DeleteI may have missed something, but why is Derricks hair so long now? Just seems not something seen in the Duggar family
ReplyDeleteHe's not a Duggar.
DeleteDerick is a Dillard, not a Duggar. He can do what he wants with his hair
DeleteDefinitely not seen in the Duggar family. I wonder the look Jim Bob had on his face the first time he saw the man bun? The man bun is a feminine hair style.
DeleteI like Derick's hair. I also like Derick. He is gentle, smart, capable and well spoken. He seems like a great dad who is very involved with his son. Jill seems worn out. Poor girl. Hope that when she comes home she gets to rest and regroups and doesn't spend all her time filming for their show. I hope she has learned to value private time away from cameras and fame.
DeleteWow. I didn't realized that the Dillards lived in similar conditions my family has lived through. I feel sorry that Jill is worried about Israel. #MotherlyLove
ReplyDeleteI hope to one day eventually meet them.
#LoveTheDuggars_Dillards_Seewalds #LoveJAD
Jill, these are the kinds of things you're going to have to get used to if you & Derick intend to spend your lives in the mission field. Things could be even worse the next place you go. Unless it's once & done for you & you've decided you can't deal with it.
ReplyDeleteIf the young couple is so worried about kidnapping, then why are they not incognito in that country? The fact that the family endeavours to remain famous, filming themselves working there, desperate to remain in the public eye, does in the end pose a real threat to them and their child. They are famous and are easy targets for high ransoms. Am I the only one to be concerned????
ReplyDeleteI find it difficult to understand.
Totally agree. Either the danger of kidnapping. etc is real or it isn't. Can't have it both ways. And how is Jill safe alone with Israel on a tiny house on the edge of the jungle when Derick is away? Unless there are armed guards around the compound which TLC is not showing. And why aren't they showing the guards?
DeleteThe guards have been shown in pictures the family or others have taken & posted online.
DeleteWhere did Jill think she was going to be stationed for a mission project? At at Wal-Mart? Of course you're sent to places that are poor and politically unstable. That's the whole point. If you can't handle it, don't volunteer. But if you do volunteer, then do the work and don't complain about the working conditions or keep running away from them. Jesus wouldn't.
ReplyDeleteI don't recall in all my studies that Jesus ever had a spouse or a child to be concerned about during his ministry.
DeleteJill wasn't complaining, she was just explaining some of her fears. There's a big difference. And they seemed to have "handled it" just fine.
DeleteJesus considered everyone to be His and His Father's children, especially the poorest or sickest or weakest.
DeleteI am very upset & disturbed that Jill would use that word to describe Israel. It is wrong & she should know better. How is it going to ever end if we keep using derogatory terms to label people.
ReplyDelete"Gringo" means different things in depending on the region. Basically, it means foreigner. In some Spanish speaking countries it might refer specifically to Americans, or it might refer to people from any foreign country who are fair skinned. It can even be used to refer to another Hispanic person from a different country. In the vast majority of contexts, it is NOT derogatory. It's just a neutral term. Jill was not incorrect to use the term to describe Israel, because she was discussing how the locals see him. It doesn't mean anything bad in this context, it's just what he is.
DeleteIt's a word that falls into the touchy category depending on where it's used and how it's used and who has said it of whom or why.
DeleteWe don't know where Jill first heard it or why she thinks it's OK to repeat it. But she should have known that she is speaking to mostly an American audience, so she should have avoided using that word based on how Americans perceive it.
That word can be used in a derogatory manner, but it's also used by many south of us to refer to somebody from the U.S., despite skin color. No doubt that's how it is used by the people in the place where they've been living.
DeleteI'm a gringo, and I don't see it as a derogatory term. We have to stop being so sensitive.
DeleteI don't see why Jill "should have known: that Americans perceive "gringo" as a bad word. I've been an American for over forty years and never knew anyone thought it was derogatory until I read these blog comments! I've just always heard it used the way she used it, to describe someone from the US by people in Latin America.
DeleteGrowing up I was told that word was derogatory. It surprised me to hear Jill use it.
DeleteWhat does gringo mean?
ReplyDeleteIt's a term that is used to describe foreigners. It's usually not derogatory.
DeleteGringo is defined as a stranger or foreigner in Spain or in any Latin country. Especially if the person is of American or English origin. I find nothing derogatory about that.
DeleteIf you Google it it just means someone who isn't Latino. Its most commonly used in describing Caucasians. Some people see it as an insult though.
DeleteGringo is only used in Latin America. Not in Spain. North American people are not common here and we don't have slang to describe then.
DeleteI'm Mexican and I know that when used there it's usually in a derogatory way.
Deletegood luck in these people saying they are adopting? I personally do not see that happening?
ReplyDeleteWith the dangers down there, it's hard to understand why they don't keep a low profile and not have the cameras following them. I imagine the potential for a kidnapping for ransom of them is huge since they are TV celebrities. Best to keep the cameras away.
ReplyDeleteJust as they have cameras following them, they also have armed guards following them. Various Duggars have posed for pictures with those guys numerous times.
DeleteExactly. The camera crew draws more attention than their gringo son.
DeleteThe cameras aren't usually following them.
DeleteMany Hispanic Americans use the word gringo as a derogatory or racial slur towards white Americans who don't speak Spanish.
ReplyDeleteI really agree with the comments. Especcially Jill just doest not seem to adapt well in Central America and hasn't realized what it means to work in the mission field: of course you should take dangers into account and not be reckless but she seems to close herself off and not do the work she was supposed to do properly. Filming and having camaras around does not help either to prevent kidnapping (if that is her biggest fear). I have come more and more to the conclusion that this family is overly eager to be in the spotlights: whatever it takes. They have developed the same attitudes that any famous person has (despite their christianity): constantly wanting attention and thinking that somehow you can change the entire world and thinking that the entire world is interested in you. For their own sake and that of the public, they really should take a brake from filming. Fame does not make anyone a pleasant person.
ReplyDeleteThey aren't exactly living the lives of any missionaries I have met. Delivered water?? Washing machine with digital controls? Their own house? Wow.
ReplyDeleteThe ministry program they are with poured a lot of money and resources into finishing that house just in time for Jill & Derick to move in! That can only lead one to wonder where the money came from to do that. Quid pro quo?
DeleteHave to wonder what the women who live in that area do to wash their clothes when the water goes out. I doubt they let it pile up on their machines in plastic laundry baskets. I doubt they'd even notice the water was "out" because they either don't have indoor plumbing or they rely on wells or other natural sources. Jill has no idea what sort of message she just conveyed with that video. I am convinced that TLC has been trying to show this family in the worst possible light for a long time now, on purpose.
DeleteJill, you are a guest invited into their country, their culture, and their lives. Hiding in your home does not exactly come across as friendly or gracious.
ReplyDeleteUmm...I've had scorpions and tarantulas in my home too...as well as power outages for days after severe storms. I'm from Oklahoma.
ReplyDeleteWhat's a gringo?
ReplyDeleteA word that can be used in a derogatory way if you're not careful.
DeleteI can't believe all the negative comments on here! I understand being concerned for their safety, but what's all the rest of the hate for? They are sacrificing a lot to be out there away from family and friends in a new culture and language. I'm sure they still have a ton to adjust to, as well as all the added fear for safety. They need our prayers, not our criticism.
ReplyDeleteIt's not hate. It's surprise because they don't seem to really work there. They just live there, mention some Bible study every once in a while, but we still aren't sure what the ministry consists in. For example, are they helping people build houses, bring water and power to their villages, build schools for children, educate teachers, help them build an economy? Those are things that I would expect missionaries to do and I've never heard Jill or Derrick talk about it.
DeleteOh my goodness! You don't know what they do or don't do!!! Smh gringo means American and nobody gets offended with that word. Only people that cristize are people that are not happy enough that they find little things and make them into something negative. Jill and Derrick are awesome men and women of God of the Lord told them to go (which I know Derrick use to do that before he was with Jill) then your opinion doesn't really matter. They will not ask permission for doing their ministry. Jill has always had a servant heart and it's hard going as a missionaries after having a baby.
DeleteJust some commentary on what I've read here so far. Missionaries do go as family units. Sometimes a situation may be "unsafe", but that is a relative term. There are places in this country where it would be unsafe for me to go. They could be unsafe because of my color or sex or they update be unsafe in that the health hazards are through the roof.
ReplyDeleteIt is easy to forget that we see such a small portion of what is filmed and that what we do see is edited for content and interest. It is on tv after all. It would be very boring if all the things covered were "safe and nonthreatening." I imagine Jill was asked about her time there and what she felt or experienced. As a mom, she has a right to be concerned and she expressed that. It doesn't make her a bad mom or missionary. Give the family some leeway as they navigate the minefield of being missionaries for the first time, parents of a toddler, and human beings. None of us is called to perfection, but we are called to perfectly try.
I do not feel called to be a missionary, although I am called to mission locally. It takes special kinds of people who are willing to do mission work out of the US. God bless them, yes God!, for following that call. Those of you who do not feel called to mission work outside of the US, find something you can do locally. We can all serve whether we believe in God or not.
Congrats to the Dillard's for the work they have done in Central America. I'm sure they have been a blessing to many. I understand where Jill is coming from, being a first time mom and having a toddler to watch out for and protect. I don't have a lot of knowledge about mission work, but in my opinion, they are doing the best they can under the circumstances. They are a well known family and they need to be vigilant about safety. Perhaps they should consider focusing on ministries in the U.S. where they can feel safer and pursue this mission work at a more appropriate time. I will continue to pray for the Dillard's.
ReplyDeleteI would love to understand more about Jill and Derick's work. Do they have measurable metrics of success toward their objectives as missionaries? Are they evaluated by a superior and given goals and training? Their work seems almost mysterious -- when they speak about it I gain little understanding of their clear purpose.
ReplyDeleteOmg!just finished watching the new episode of the second season of counting on. So happy for Jeremy and jigger. What a lovely couple. Can't wait for the next episode here in NY.
ReplyDeleteI've been reading the comments and a lot of people are so concerned about Jill using the word gringo yet I have yet to read any comment about Jill and Derick getting Israel tested to see if he has any type/form of down syndrome. I only bring this up because early detection is key. It's hard for me to believe that I am the only one who sees this. I hope this gets posted because I would really like to know if anyone has any info on this. Thanks
ReplyDelete