As promised, Jill Duggar and her husband Derick Dillard have said goodbye to life in Arkansas and are officially off to Central America.
The decision, while previously announced by the Counting On star, is sure to revitalize criticism of whether or not this is a good plan.
After all, Jill Duggar is pregnant with her second child.
Jill, 25, and Derick, 27, are parents to one 22-month-old son, Israel David Dillard (above), and are expecting another baby boy in July.
They returned to the U.S. in August after wrapping up a year-long mission trip in El Salvador, but the return ended up being short lived.
The Dillards’ return to Central America was rumored last week, then confirmed by the couple on their family website shortly after that.
Jill also took to Instagram to share a photo of Israel in the terminal of an airport looking out at a plane, captioned, “We are headed out!”
When will Izzy and his parents next see America?
It doesn’t sound to us like they’ll be back anytime soon.
“After returning home for a short period, we are excited to announce that we are now returning to Central America!” they wrote in a blog post.
“We are excited to be back to the work our hearts love.”
“From the early stages of our lives, the Lord has put a deep love and care in both of our hearts for all peoples of the world,” they added.
The Dillards want to help those peoples, whom they feel will “come to repentance and put their hope in the Lord, Jesus Christ.”
Their post announcing the big decision continued:
“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 a week.”
Nice as that sounds, fans are all over them for it, accusing Jill of putting her children at risk due to health and other risks in the region.
Duggar fans have already been deeply concerned about Derick’s health problems and the impact of living in a third world nation on him.
Now, with Jill pregnant again, and headed back to the epicenter of the Zika virus, which has been linked to devastating birth defects?
Let’s just say the couple gives its fans a lot of anxiety.
Nevertheless, they’ve concluded that this is worth it.
In August 2015, when they first traveled abroad in the wake of the Josh Duggar scandals, they photos posted of their mission trip online.
The duo worked with fellow missionaries on projects including building a basketball court and the locals were seen playing with Israel.
In November 2015, Jill gushed about what a wonderful experience it was to be visiting families in their area and learning to speak Spanish.
Perhaps that familiarity is why she’s okay with it now.
“There’s a level of ease that comes with your second pregnancy,” she said. “Derick and I have been down this road, so we’re comfortable.”
“I’m just going to see how it goes, try to be healthy and prepare as much as I can,” Jill adds. “But this time I know that labor is unpredictable.”
Unpredictable enough that they’ll be back this summer.
Prior to their second child’s due date in July, the reality star says she plans to fly back to Arkansas in order to ensure a safe delivery.
“We will come back for the birth of the baby,” Jill said.
Sigh of relief breathed.