Jill Duggar Encourages Fasting To End Gang Violence In Latest Mission Trip Update

Jill Duggar and Derick Dillard recently revealed what they’ve been up to since returning to Central America to continue their mission work, and they also shared their thoughts on how to deal with the gang violence that is so prevalent in the region. Unfortunately for those who are already hungry and poor, their plan involves asks them to give up a lot more.

In an October 27 post on the Dillard Family website, Jill Duggar and her husband revealed that they spent their first week back in Guatemala taking 20 hours of Spanish lessons. According to the couple, they got most of their study materials from a “great, Bible-believing church” that is close to their new home. When they’re not studying, Jill and Derick are practicing what they’ve learned by visiting the local market to shop for necessities.

According to the Duggar Family News: Life Is Not All Pickles And Hairspray Facebook Page, the TLC camera crews were spotted following Jill Duggar and her husband while they went on one of these little shopping excursions (Jill was looking at jean skirts). The footage from the trip will likely be featured in one of the three upcoming Jill & Jessa: Counting On TV specials.

Jill and Derick have been criticized for doing very little to help the locals during their mission trip, and there have been calls for the couple to provide more details about how they are spending the donated money that they’re asking for on their website. However, Jill and Derick’s latest update doesn’t mention money at all, and the couple only provides vague descriptions of what they’ve been up to.

“This past week, we were blessed to serve in a birth center, an orphanage, and visit in the home of a local Mayan family,” Jill and Derick revealed.

Jill Duggar is now a Certified Professional Midwife (CPM), but she didn’t reveal whether she was actually putting her skills to use by acting as a midwife at the birthing center. As the Inquisitr previously reported, Jill has said that she doesn’t actually want to work as a midwife while she has children at home. If she follows in her mother’s footsteps by having as many children as she can, this means that she’ll never get the chance to make a living as a midwife. However, Jill doesn’t see obtaining her midwifery certification as a pointless pursuit — the Jill & Jessa: Counting On star plans on using her knowledge to teach others somewhere down the road.

Jill Duggar and her husband ended their latest mission trip update by asking their fans to add some very specific requests to their prayers. The missionaries believe that praying can change the outcome of elections, so they’re asking their followers to pray “that God would put authorities in place who would honor the Word of God and His people.”

Jill and Derick also asked their fans to pray for the end of gang violence in Central America. According to the couple, prayers and fasting are the best way to solve this problem.

“Many of the men in Central America are in custody for gang involvement, leaving the gangs themselves as the primary influence of many children, especially young boys, who, sadly, tend to follow in their fathers’ footsteps,” they wrote. “By God’s grace and the prayers and fasting of his people, this deadly cycle can be broken and this land healed.”

Jill and Derick’s call for fasting came just days after they shared their recipe for sweet and sour rice on the Dillard Family website.

In a previous post, Jill seemed to suggest that the gang violence might not actually be a bad thing when it comes to her evangelizing efforts. According to the 24-year-old missionary, it’s easier to turn people on to the idea of eternal life when they’re terrified of being murdered by gang members.

“Because of the violence and fear in some areas we were in, people face the frequent reality of eternity and are more open to the gospel because of it,” Jill revealed.

However, this doesn’t mean that Jill Duggar doesn’t want the violence to stop. According to the reality show star, she has actually ministered to a few gang members in an effort to get them to leave their life of crime behind.

What do you think of Jill Duggar and Derick Dillard’s methods of fighting gang violence in Central America?

[Image via Jill Duggar Dillard/Instagram]