Jill Duggar And Derick Dillard Want Thousands Of Dollars For Mission Trip

Jill Duggar and Derick Dillard have headed back to Central America, and the Counting On stars are asking fans to help cover their living expenses.

On Thursday, Jill and Derick revealed that they and their 22-month-old son, Israel, were jetting off to the mission field in El Salvador. As People reported, the missionaries took a six-month break after returning home to Arkansas last August. Jill Duggar is pregnant, so there was some speculation that she and Derick would decide to stay home until their baby boy arrives. The couple has revealed that Jill does not want to have her baby in El Salvador, so they will have to fly back home ahead of her due date in July.

Even though Jill Duggar and Derick Dillard have had half a year to raise money for their return to El Salvador, the Counting On stars are asking their fans for more. In a blog post on their family website, they gave fans an exact amount of cash they’re hoping to raise. It would cover their “monthly expenses for groceries, utilities, fuel, healthcare, etc.” The ministry that Jill and Derick has partnered with, S.O.S. Ministries, has provided the “hospitality house” that they live in, so they don’t have to pay for their accommodations.

“When you give a donation to our ministry, you are helping our family cover living expenses to be able to remain on the field and helping reach so many precious lives. For example, if only 600 families were willing to donate a one-time gift of $40, it would completely cover our remaining ministry expenses for this term.”

Jill and Derick have not revealed how long their mission terms are, but if this one ends in August like their first one did, it will be six months long. However, the couple will have to return home before their term ends because of Jill’s pregnancy. According to Mayo Clinic, many airlines prohibit women who are more than 36 weeks pregnant from flying, so Jill will likely return home a month ahead of her due date. This means that she and Derick are asking for $24,000 (in addition to the money that they’ve already raised) to cover four months of living in El Salvador. They claim that they will return to El Salvador to complete their mission term after Jill gives birth, but this may be an unrealistic goal.

Jill and Derick have never explained why they don’t use the money they make from Counting On to cover all of their living costs. In a previous blog post, they revealed that they’ve only used their own money for “indirect expenses” and most of their air travel.

Jill Duggar and Derick Dillard are also asking for monthly $30 donations to help feed children in El Salvador, but the couple’s donations page doesn’t provide donors with an option to specify that this is what they want their money to be used for.

In their new mission trip update, Jill and Derick reveal that they only leave their house once a week to work. It’s unclear what they do the other six days of the week.

“Through our ministry and your support, we can help support local churches, and impact hundreds of lives on a daily basis. Once a week we go into villages hit hard by violence, and provide various skills training for adults, Bible study, kids programs, and crafts. On average we help over 40 adults and children every week.”

As the Inquisitr previously reported, Jill Duggar and Derick Dillard have been criticized for returning to El Salvador while Jill is pregnant. Many fans have slammed the couple for seemingly ignoring the dangers of the Zika virus, a mosquito-borne illness linked to devastating birth defects. El Salvador has been described as a Zika “hot zone,” so Jill and Derick may be putting their unborn child at risk.

What do you think of Jill Duggar and Derick Dillard’s decision to return to the mission field and the amount of money they’re asking fans to donate? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

[Featured Image by The Dillard Family/Facebook]