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

[airportwoman]

Since the articles mentioned numerous instances of break-ins and attempted thefts, I wonder if there was something like that happening, things escalated, and he was shot in the crossfire (either accidentally or on purpose)? Just musing.

I thought the thefts and break-ins were being done by hungry locals, at the adjoining orange plantation, and the electric fence and guards were really for that operation.

 

[Trooper]

There's a local international school in Lubango, to international standards, so no necessity for them to be home schooling at all.

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. 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.

Sadly, Americans would not be seen as favourable , due to American interference in the Angolan War of Independance from Portugal.. .. That interference mainly based on the fact that Angola has a plethora of natural resources, oil, lithium, all those sorts of goodies that western nations want. That war only ended, some say it has never ended , 20 years ago.. not long, really.. maybe there is resentment still lingering..

Perhaps missionary work was not seen by the Angolans as the sturdy heartland folks of the USA see it.. they might see it differently. No wonder they have to live in a compound.. I lived in Botswana for a while, not the same but not that different, in many ways, and the most despised were missionaries, I regret to report.

 

[Trooper]

So that's lying then isn't it?

I think they call it 'embellishment'.....

 

[Trooper]

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.

Well.... I watched and listened to the pastor eulogising Beau, and it seems that it's all going to be alright, apparently.

 

[RickshawFan]

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.

Well, that is certainly an interesting fact. I'm learning so much about a country I knew nothing about!
Another factoid. I checked on the brand of Christianity, thinking that one group or another might be unwelcome (I note one article about Seventh Day Adventists being mistreated, but there might be special animosity about them; guess), but not so. About even, Protestants and RC. Largest group of non-RC are Mormons.
Angola has religious liberty protections in its constitution (which seems quite progressive!), but maybe it gets applied a bit unevenly (or maybe not!). The State Department's assessment of religion in Angola is below. I don't see any red flags; IMO that's impressive for a developing country. Actually, I do see a red flag in that several church groups haven't met the criteria for listing on Angola's "recognized" religious groups, which would allow them greater freedoms in terms of events, etc. Perhaps there's some animosity there.

Technical Difficulties

www.state.gov

 

[RickshawFan]

Has anyone found a FB page for Jackie? One of the Daily Mail photos is supposedly from FB, but I can't find it.

I noticed that Beau didn't have much of a presence on social media. And he coincidentally just set up his FB page 10 days before his death. His first post was on Oct 15 and then he made 4 posts over the remaining time.

Well, that's interesting....

 

[RickshawFan]

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.

Detroit Lakes seems a bit different than I anticipated, too: a tourist destination.

 

[airportwoman]

Well, that is certainly an interesting fact. I'm learning so much about a country I knew nothing about!
Another factoid. I checked on the brand of Christianity, thinking that one group or another might be unwelcome (I note one article about Seventh Day Adventists being mistreated, but there might be special animosity about them; guess), but not so. About even, Protestants and RC. Largest group of non-RC are Mormons.
Angola has religious liberty protections in its constitution (which seems quite progressive!), but maybe it gets applied a bit unevenly (or maybe not!). The State Department's assessment of religion in Angola is below. I don't see any red flags; IMO that's impressive for a developing country. Actually, I do see a red flag in that several church groups haven't met the criteria for listing on Angola's "recognized" religious groups, which would allow them greater freedoms in terms of events, etc. Perhaps there's some animosity there.

Technical Difficulties

www.state.gov

I don't know much about the Vineyard congregations. There's at least one where I live. I don't think they have a central denomination kind of thing, but instead they are independent and under some kind of name umbrella.

Some of the "approved" religions in Angola were scary, especially the Brazilian one that demanded their priests have vasectomies! Yikes!

 

[iamshadow21]

Well, that is certainly an interesting fact. I'm learning so much about a country I knew nothing about!
Another factoid. I checked on the brand of Christianity, thinking that one group or another might be unwelcome (I note one article about Seventh Day Adventists being mistreated, but there might be special animosity about them; guess), but not so. About even, Protestants and RC. Largest group of non-RC are Mormons.
Angola has religious liberty protections in its constitution (which seems quite progressive!), but maybe it gets applied a bit unevenly (or maybe not!). The State Department's assessment of religion in Angola is below. I don't see any red flags; IMO that's impressive for a developing country. Actually, I do see a red flag in that several church groups haven't met the criteria for listing on Angola's "recognized" religious groups, which would allow them greater freedoms in terms of events, etc. Perhaps there's some animosity there.

Technical Difficulties

www.state.gov

Unsurprised that LDS are second, given how central conversion and proselytesing is to the faith. I've not known anyone sent to Africa, but I know that they tend to send missionaries to places where they have existing language skills, so they'd be looking for people with at least basic Portuguese to go to Angola. It's not a common language taught in schools in a lot of English speaking countries, not like Spanish or French. I'd imagine a lot of LDS missionaries that go to Angola are from Europe, South America, or are locals.

I can't imagine that it's much different for other faiths. You're not going to be effective if you can't communicate with the people you're trying to work with. Expecting the locals to learn English to speak to you is problematic on many levels and frustrating for all involved, but I imagine a bunch of white saviours do it anyway.

MOO

 

[Trooper]

<modsnip - quoted post, response removed>

How she did it... moot point, I suppose.. it would be hard to smuggle firearms of any persuasion into most African nations, the airlines are extraordinarily strict about such stuff in baggage, etc.. to buy one in country, .. maybe in Luanda, or Benguala, or even over the border into Namibia, a strong German expatriate community there, armed to the teeth.... perhaps..

 

[RickshawFan]

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

IME some missionaries are "in country" indefinitely. My niece is an RC missionary; she plans to stay there forever. I've heard other missionaries (e.g. Mormons) do a stint and then return. I've met both kinds.

I'm guessing the SIM site would have info on expectations and job descriptions.

 

[iamshadow21]

IME some missionaries are "in country" indefinitely. My niece is an RC missionary; she plans to stay there forever. I've heard other missionaries (e.g. Mormons) do a stint and then return. I've met both kinds.

Yeah, LDS, it's generally young men (19-21) and young women (21-23) for two years. Elderly couples can also do missions, but they tend to be service at a temple, not door knocking. Angola does have a temple announced, but it's not built yet, so their missionaries would be all young people.

Who knows with this family whether they were planning to be in Angola long term or if this was an interval in their life with an end date.

MOO

 

[RickshawFan]

Sadly, Americans would not be seen as favourable , due to American interference in the Angolan War of Independance from Portugal.. .. That interference mainly based on the fact that Angola has a plethora of natural resources, oil, lithium, all those sorts of goodies that western nations want. That war only ended, some say it has never ended , 20 years ago.. not long, really.. maybe there is resentment still lingering..

Perhaps missionary work was not seen by the Angolans as the sturdy heartland folks of the USA see it.. they might see it differently. No wonder they have to live in a compound.. I lived in Botswana for a while, not the same but not that different, in many ways, and the most despised were missionaries, I regret to report.

Thanks for the info!
I agree: the underpinnings for many missionary assignments are intolerance and the need to better the locals. This would not be received well by anyone, abroad or here in the US. I went to a missionary school and I had to be in a missionary hospital: I am very thankful, and those setups were well-placed and had government blessing in their respective countries. Other than those, my guard goes up.
I wanna go to Botswana...bucket list.

 

[RickshawFan]

And the Angola ladies are very elegant, and gracious... maybe the missionary's eyes roamed and the missus objected... it happens all the time.. When a man's social horizons expand, so do his sexual ambitions... Killing one's husband is most often , for women, an emotionally overwrought act, ....

How she did it... moot point, I suppose.. it would be hard to smuggle firearms of any persuasion into most African nations, the airlines are extraordinarily strict about such stuff in baggage, etc.. to buy one in country, .. maybe in Luanda, or Benguala, or even over the border into Namibia, a strong German expatriate community there, armed to the teeth.... perhaps..

Beau might have brought a firearm to Angola without checking whether they were allowed or not (they aren't). I could definitely see that happening. It seems most likely to me that if there were a gun involved, it would be an American one.
But I'm also thinking it could be some unusual weapon, especially for an American woman: a machete that they kept by the bedside for defense.
So nice to have firsthand info about your experience with Angola and its people.

 

[RickshawFan]

Oh, my, check out Luanda! I can't reproduce the photo because it has to be purchased. But here's the link.

iStock

iStock. Explore the official iStock website for millions of exclusive, royalty-free, stock files. Find the perfect stock for your project, fast. Search now.

www.istockphoto.com

I was thinking it would be more like this:

iStock

iStock. Explore the official iStock website for millions of exclusive, royalty-free, stock files. Find the perfect stock for your project, fast. Search now.

www.istockphoto.com

 

[nhmemorymaker]

I don’t know Jackie but I’m certainly not going to slam her without facts.
She is a mom of five darling kids that appear to be very well loved and well cared for and now she is a single mom and young widow in a foreign place known for corruption.
To raise five kids lovingly takes a degree of selflessness that many don’t possess.
To willingly risk the health and safety of your family by engaging in mission work in very remote areas of the world takes even more selflessness.
It’s taking a leap of faith that in this case ended very poorly.

I’m perplexed at how so many people buy into all they read. As Christians - missionaries are the first to say “we are all sinners” and that anyone who says they don’t have any issues is lying.
That said, 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. Ridiculous to single it out as innuendo of anything more than what a minister friend would say about any other minister friend. We are all sinners. None of us is perfect. Nothing to see here.
The press took a very mundane statement and made it sound juicy or intriguing when it’s simply not.
They are grasping at straws because there isn’t really anything to this story yet.
No facts whatsoever. Other than a selfless and seemingly self confident woman has been accused of the unthinkable and is in terrible trouble and her five children haven’t been repatriated to the USA yet.

As soon as there are concrete charges and facts in this case I may well change my tune.
For now, I reserve the right to be skeptical of the charges and to not be attacked if my opinion is different from yours.
Just scroll and roll if you don’t like what I’m saying.
I leave you alone out of courtesy and would ask for the same respect.
Everyone on this forum has a right to express their own opinion without ugly feedback

I so agree about the press. They have n9thing factual , to date, "so let's run with that standard religious garb".

And as someone noted up thread....we are hearing FROM NO ONE other than the church megaphone.

 

[RickshawFan]

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.

I’ve noticed this kind of thing on every photo of the parents that I’ve looked at, either local children pasted in or one or other of the missionaries. There’s detail that shouldn’t be there, or the sizing is odd. One has a teen sitting on air.

 

[Inthedetails]

I am actually responding to this post to bring your list of speculations to the front again. A couple of subsequent posts have reiterated one thing or another from your list.

You did NOT included, covering up a possible affair, but I think it has to be on this list. Especially given that she has been arrested "in connection to" this murder. AND because, statistically, this is often the case in similar situations.

You HAVE mentioned covering for a child, as someone else has mentioned. I personally think this is a relevant speculation, though don't believe it to be the case. 4 older girls, one younger boy. Just don't think so.

Thought of another theory to add to the list:

* Murdered him to stop him from harming a child (his own or another). I don't think we've considered that option yet.

Again, I am NOT suggesting that happened, but merely brainstorming possibilities with what little info we have. We're short on info and long on speculation at this point.

jmo

 

[RickshawFan]

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.

Yes, I’ve encountered that personally, but also seen it in action in reference to others. I found it kinda wild to be spoken to or even lambasted for not being the right kind of Christian.

I have people I care about from many different faiths and sects, and like it that way. Makes life interesting.

 

[Inthedetails]

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

Different denominations do it differently. There is no one "blanket" way to do mission work.

And to address the idea that people are bashing religious people, I strongly disagree. We can maturely discuss issues and situations without being labeled as "bashing," I hope. For example, I condemn murder, if that is indeed what happened here, no matter who committed it.

jmo