MN - Beau Shroyer, Wife of Detroit Lakes missionary killed in Angola arrested in connection to his death

[LittleSeaTree]

I had such a weird reaction to this photograph....
The picture of all the boys is quite serene and beautiful...

But all of a sudden, Jackie looks like Shanna Gardner to me! Oh NO!!!!
View attachment 542997

Yessss..There are a few pictures that I couldn’t stop analyzing. Especially the one out on a road with an adult couple and some kids and maybe a motorbike? I felt like their faces said something about having their picture taken…there were no smiles. I think this was on her Instagram

 

[airportwoman]

Another interesting fact. Angola’s population is majorly Christian already. Now I know ministries do a variety of things and not just proselytize, however just another interesting fact to add. It’s not like they had opposition to building Christian spaces it was probably fairly welcoming and with a large Christian population you’d think there be more activity. I agree with everything you posted.

I have read that too, and specifically they are mostly Catholic. Some Christians, especially the more fundamentalist type, do not believe that Catholics are "real" Christians.

 

[Cryptic]

If guns are very limited there, would Americans moving there have to declare their weapons then?

I would say, very likely so.

I was once friends with a man who enjoyed managed hunting in Africa- and paid large amounts of money for the experiences. Anyways, he mentioned that bringing hunting rifles into African countries was very controlled.

Though the outfitters handled all the required paperwork for their well heeled clientele- and also for a few dedicated enthusiasts of more modest incomes, restrictions and keeping records of who brought in what were very much in place.

In the end, I my bet would be that the only gun allowed to be brought into Africa would be hunting weapons. I would not be surprised that wanting to bring in hunting guns based on a "Well, I might decide to hunting someday" instead of being booked with a registered outfitter or guide service with a clear departure date for the gun could be even more controlled.

But.... this is a based on extrapolation rather than personal experience.

 

[sasha17]

Photoshopped. Kids have been randomly added on.

Now I'm suspicious about EVERYTHING.

This article has a photo near the top of Jackie and Beau outdoors on a wooden deck. Maybe at a restaurant?

Twist in case of pastor murdered after moving his family to Angola

Minnesota church officials have announced an 'unimaginable' twist in the case of a former pastor who was murdered after he moved his family to Angola.

www.dailymail.co.uk

There is some weird blurring next to Beau's temple but what caught my attention was the lines of the boards on the decking. There's a bit of wooden deck showing between Beau's arm and his body. The lines on the deck boards there don't match up with the rest of the deck that's visible next to Jackie.

 

[Snoopster]

What are the 'benefits' and 'expectations' of a missionary placement? Does anyone here know how long-term mission trips work?

 

[Kemug]

100% agree. As pointed out, Americans would encounter little to no problems communicating with Germans, especially those working in customer service at an airport. They can speak fluent English!

But, it's content to share about their calling and encountering strangers in strange lands who help them, making their mission work seem all the more destined. It's a good story with a lesson.

My opinion only, having some experience with this type of community.

jmo

So that's lying then isn't it?

 

[Inthedetails]

So that's lying then isn't it?

Storytelling.

I don't think she was lying that they were tired, were frustrated, had travel troubles, and a stranger befriended them. But was it literally accurate in every detail? Eh.

But I'm far more interested in what happened around the murder than I am about what happened in an airport in Germany, tbh.

jmo

 

[realanastasia]

Pastor's cryptic comments stun church after his missionary friend died

A friend of Beau Shroyer, 44, a missionary allegedly killed by his wife Jackie in Angola on October 25, said the father-of-five 'wasn't a perfect man,' as he spoke to congregants Sunday morning.

www.dailymail.co.uk

“A pastor friend of a missionary feared to have been murdered by his wife in Angola said the victim 'wasn't a perfect man.'

'I want you to know, church, that even in the confusion and the pain around all of this, because of what God's word reveals to us about who he is...about his heart and his will for his people...I want you to know that I am confident that God is near to the Shroyer family, and especially to his precious children...Beau wasn't a perfect man,' Troy Easton, the current lead pastor at Lake Area Vineyard Church said Sunday.

'He was just like the rest of us. He didn't get it right all of the time. Just like you don't, just like I don't. But he did believe in and trust Jesus...We can rejoice and find comfort in the truth that he is forever with the King.'”

 

[Kemug]

The "Pastor's Cryptic Comments" article sounds like the wife did kill him, IMO.

 

[Inthedetails]

Pastor's cryptic comments stun church after his missionary friend died

A friend of Beau Shroyer, 44, a missionary allegedly killed by his wife Jackie in Angola on October 25, said the father-of-five 'wasn't a perfect man,' as he spoke to congregants Sunday morning.

www.dailymail.co.uk

“A pastor friend of a missionary feared to have been murdered by his wife in Angola said the victim 'wasn't a perfect man.'

'I want you to know, church, that even in the confusion and the pain around all of this, because of what God's word reveals to us about who he is...about his heart and his will for his people...I want you to know that I am confident that God is near to the Shroyer family, and especially to his precious children...Beau wasn't a perfect man,' Troy Easton, the current lead pastor at Lake Area Vineyard Church said Sunday.

'He was just like the rest of us. He didn't get it right all of the time. Just like you don't, just like I don't. But he did believe in and trust Jesus...We can rejoice and find comfort in the truth that he is forever with the King.'”

The victim wasn't perfect?
Interesting stance.

jmo

p.s. I realize none of us are perfect.

 

[Snoopster]

Pastor's cryptic comments stun church after his missionary friend died

A friend of Beau Shroyer, 44, a missionary allegedly killed by his wife Jackie in Angola on October 25, said the father-of-five 'wasn't a perfect man,' as he spoke to congregants Sunday morning.

www.dailymail.co.uk

“A pastor friend of a missionary feared to have been murdered by his wife in Angola said the victim 'wasn't a perfect man.'

'I want you to know, church, that even in the confusion and the pain around all of this, because of what God's word reveals to us about who he is...about his heart and his will for his people...I want you to know that I am confident that God is near to the Shroyer family, and especially to his precious children...Beau wasn't a perfect man,' Troy Easton, the current lead pastor at Lake Area Vineyard Church said Sunday.

And here we go.
Something was not right in paradise. And it seems that the church is recognizing that the victim wasn't perhaps the perfect "Christian" missionary.

Did this lead to his wife killing him??

 

[Marie A]

<modsnip: Quoted post was removed>

An arrest in Angola - where corruption is rampant- doesn’t even come close to holding the weight of an arrest in this country.
Angola has a corrupt police force per documentation and is a country that treats women very very poorly.

AD586: In Angola, gender-based violence is seen as the top challenge to women’s rights

Gender-based violence (GBV) threatens the health, well-being, and lives of women throughout Angolan society. The most recent Multiple Indicator and Health Survey reports that 32% of Angolan women...

www.afrobarometer.org

They could be waiting for a pay off before releasing her.

Plenty of people are willing to crucify someone religious.
<modsnip>

In either case, Jackie is in a horrible situation.
You would have to be very stupid to knowingly do something that could get you thrown in prison in Angola. I’m simply not convinced that she did do something.

I hope the state department gets their five children out of Angola immediately.
I can’t even imagine what they are going through.
It would be interesting to know what the children know/ have witnessed.
There may be strong reasons that we have no facts yet about this case.

All IMHO

 

[RickshawFan]

I've been wondering about the terms of the mission. Based on previously posted news articles and Jackie's Instagram account, I had the understanding that they went back to the US for 3.5 months. They had a 'debrief' after this initial 'term' and decided that they wanted to go back. Maybe one of them didn't really want to go back. And, after a re-infusion of American culture and life, that might have been bridge too far for one or more of the family members. Perhaps it produced family discord once they arrived back in Angola.

My understanding from other missionaries is that they go back for substantial stretches to do fund raisers at churches. The fund raisers pay their "salary" while in the mission country. No fund raising, no mission.

 

[Snoopster]

<modsnip: Quoted post was removed>

An arrest in Angola - where corruption is rampant- doesn’t even come close to holding the weight of an arrest in this country.
Angola has a corrupt police force per documentation and is a country that treats women very very poorly.

AD586: In Angola, gender-based violence is seen as the top challenge to women’s rights

Gender-based violence (GBV) threatens the health, well-being, and lives of women throughout Angolan society. The most recent Multiple Indicator and Health Survey reports that 32% of Angolan women...

www.afrobarometer.org

They could be waiting for a pay off before releasing her.

Plenty of people are willing to crucify someone religious.
<modsnip>

In either case, Jackie is in a horrible situation.
You would have to be very stupid to knowingly do something that could get you thrown in prison in Angola. I’m simply not convinced that she did do something.

I hope the state department gets their five children out of Angola immediately.
I can’t even imagine what they are going through.
It would be interesting to know what the children know/ have witnessed.
There may be strong reasons that we have no facts yet about this case.

All IMHO

I'm a little concerned about your comment that "plenty of people are willing to crucify someone religious". While I'm not religious I have close friends who are religious and I love them. They are incredible people. I also have friends who are not religious. They are incredible as well. It's not a case of crucifying someone who is religious. We, at least I, love religious and non-religious people as long as they love humanity.

I think we both agree that we need the children to be taken care of.
Where I don't think we agree is that we must automatically blame Angolans.


We are all worried about the kids.

 

[RickshawFan]

Sorry for so many posts in a row, but I've had another thought. The talk from the beginning was that they were going to set up a youth ministry in a rural area of Angola. At some point they described the progress as slow. They were given some land for the purpose of the youth ministry, yet we are now 3 years on and they have nothing to show for it. They've talked about the orange farm next to it that suffers from theft. But how would that affect a youth ministry building if they built one?

They set up a weekly soup dinner for kids outside their home in the city of Lubongo and Jackie apparently has befriended the shoeshine boys that hang out outside the mall. She took them to the cinema one night and another day she bought them some treats.
So where is the mission activity? What has Beau been doing? He wasn't very present online so it's difficult to know.

I'm just trying to get my head around what they have been doing for three years. (Of course raising and schooling 5 kids is not a small task, but I presume they had a couple of people helping with domestic tasks.)

There's a local international school in Lubango, to international standards, so no necessity for them to be home schooling. Also, Lubango has a university; they could get all kinds of tutors with impressive degrees from among the faculty.

IMO the missionaries localization is confusing. Lubango has 900,000 inhabitants. It's not rural. I gather the missionaries moved there after the first year and the original location didn't work out. They seem to be living in a missionary compound in Lubango. I understood these details to be the case, according to an article on the first page of this thread.

But I agree. What were they doing? IME simply befriending the shoeshine boys would not be difficult, even just from curiosity, but if you take them to the cinema or buy them treats, how would they not be befriended? This seems like a really odd thing to do, maybe even dangerous because others might want the same treatment.

Is there really a mall in Lubango? It must be a much more sophisticated city than I'd imagine.

IMO best way to create a youth ministry? Provide footballs. A lot easier to manage than oranges! Note in @LittleSeaTree 's post, she talked about seeing kids play with a bucket for hours.

 

[RickshawFan]

<modsnip: Quoted post was removed>

An arrest in Angola - where corruption is rampant- doesn’t even come close to holding the weight of an arrest in this country.
Angola has a corrupt police force per documentation and is a country that treats women very very poorly.

AD586: In Angola, gender-based violence is seen as the top challenge to women’s rights

Gender-based violence (GBV) threatens the health, well-being, and lives of women throughout Angolan society. The most recent Multiple Indicator and Health Survey reports that 32% of Angolan women...

www.afrobarometer.org

They could be waiting for a pay off before releasing her.

Plenty of people are willing to crucify someone religious.
<modsnip>

In either case, Jackie is in a horrible situation.
You would have to be very stupid to knowingly do something that could get you thrown in prison in Angola. I’m simply not convinced that she did do something.

I hope the state department gets their five children out of Angola immediately.
I can’t even imagine what they are going through.
It would be interesting to know what the children know/ have witnessed.
There may be strong reasons that we have no facts yet about this case.

All IMHO

From what I understood after looking at all the articles posted above, the detainees were not foreign nationals. There is much to be said for American Embassy support, even if charged with a serious criminal act. IMO Angola could potentially cause an international incident if they messed this up.

There's been not a word of protest anywhere that the charges are unfounded. Not a peep.

And, yes, the prison situation in Angola must be horrendous, even apart from any women's rights issues that might be prevalent in the country.

FWIW I have been arrested in a developing country, along with my entire family. The Embassy took care of the situation, and we were freed some hours later.

 

[Cedars]

way too much is being read into the minister friend’s comment about not being perfect. It’s a blanket statement applicable to all believers.

I was going to comment that
I wouldn't put any kind of interpretation into the phraseology of a sermon - unless you knew the pastor well. For eg, I saw this on the church website:
"Lakes Area Vineyard is a place where everyone is welcome–we all have a past, we all struggle and we all have questions."

Lakes Area Vineyard Church

www.myvineyardchurch.com

Similarly, Jackie's report on conditions the family faced was probably just the type of story that was expected in that circumstance. I imagine missionaries don't want to give the impression that they've won the lottery and are having their dream vacation overseas. The church members are unlikely to donate funds if they got that kind of report back.

JMO

 

[airportwoman]

My understanding from other missionaries is that they go back for substantial stretches to do fund raisers at churches. The fund raisers pay their "salary" while in the mission country. No fund raising, no mission.

That's usually what their periodic furloughs are for. Some of them may also do various kinds of temporary or contract work to pay bills while they are back home.

 

[airportwoman]

Detroit Lakes, MN is a rural town of about 10,000 population. Its main racial/ethnic minority is Native Americans, with some black, Hispanic, and other ethnicities present.

Detroit Lakes, Minnesota - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Their statement of faith also says, in effect, that LGBT+ people are welcome to attend, but the church will not officially recognize their marriage, if they are, or perform one, and it's their right to do this.

 

[sasha17]

That's usually what their periodic furloughs are for. Some of them may also do various kinds of temporary or contract work to pay bills while they are back home.

From Beau Shroyer's Facebook page, posted on June 1 of this year: "I’m back in Detroit Lakes for the summer, and still licensed to help you buy or sell your home in Minnesota."

Beau Shroyer, Realtor

Beau Shroyer, Realtor. 678 likes · 4 talking about this. ICON Agent with eXp Realty licensed in both MN and ND.

www.facebook.com