Jill Duggar and Derick Dillard are still in El Salvador living on the mission field, even though Jill is pregnant and wants to give birth in Arkansas. In their most recent ministry update, the couple possibly revealed why they’re waiting so long to come home: They need to raise funds for their return.
On May 9, Jill Duggar shared a blog post on the Dillard Family website. She informed fans that she and Derick are still living in a “hospitality house” in El Salvador, and she complained that the smell of “sweaty kids and stinky feet” was lingering in their home after having a few visitors over. The house is owned by the ministry that the couple has partnered with, S.O.S. (Seekers of Souls) Ministries.
Jill and Derick may not have to pay for their lodging, but the missionaries do have to pay for most of their travel to and from Central America. According to the Duggar Family Blog , they’ve spent their own money on all but one trip. However, now the couple is asking fans to donate money for their upcoming return to the States. They admit that they’ll use some of this money to support their growing family while they spend time away from the mission field.
Jill Duggar: Derick Dillard and I are ‘far from mastering’ the art of parenting https://t.co/oFrQ1yPlJr pic.twitter.com/XjmLRxMZWA
— Us Weekly (@usweekly) April 19, 2017
“Please continue to pray with us for: Continued financial support as we still need to raise additional support for the rest of our time here on the field as well as the time we will be home surrounding the birth of our second little boy due in early July,” Duggar writes. “Thank you to those of you who are supporting us already!”
Jill and Derick don’t reveal whether they plan on using donated money to cover their medical expenses for Jill’s prenatal care, labor, and delivery. However, as the Hollywood Gossip reports, the Counting On stars have previously said that they use donations from fans to pay for their healthcare . They also use donated funds to cover the costs of groceries, utilities, and fuel. Near the end of February, they claimed that they needed $24,000 to fund the remainder of their current mission trip term .
The couple has not revealed when they plan to return home, but they can’t wait too much longer to catch a flight. According to the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists , most commercial airlines won’t allow women to fly after their 36th week of pregnancy. This means that Jill and Derick will have to leave in early June at the latest. However, they probably won’t wait that long. As the Inquisitr previously reported, Joy-Anna Duggar’s wedding will likely take place sometime this month, and it’s hard to imagine Jill not being a part of her little sister’s big day.
Jill and Derick will get to live rent-free in the Duggar family’s guest house when they return home, so that’s one less expense the couple has to worry about. Jill, her mother, and her sisters are all big fans of home births and midwives, but Jill’s second child probably will not be delivered by a midwife in her temporary home. According to the Arkansas Department of Health, it is not legal for a midwife to perform a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean) in the Duggars’ home state. As People reports, Jill and Derick’s first child, Israel David Dillard, was delivered via C-section . Jill had hoped to give birth at home, but she had to be taken to the hospital after suffering complications during her 70-hour delivery.
According to BabyCenter, many hospitals in Arkansas won’t perform VBACs , but Jill Duggar is determined to avoid having another C-section.
“We told the doctor, ‘Stitch me up really well,’” said the Counting On star. “The doctor told me he has no doubt I’ll be able to have a vaginal delivery the next time.”
Do you think it’s fair for Jill Duggar and Derick Dillard to ask for donations to pay for the birth of their second child? Sound off in the comments below.
[Featured Image by Duggar Family /Facebook]