Lying to Mennonites

[redoyja]

So last week there was a man stopped at our church on his way from North Dakota home to Mississippi. He was looking for work for a couple days on his way home, because he had repairs that used up all his cash. And he said he wanted to work, not just a handout. He was just driving around checking with anyone he saw. After talking to the ladies at church that day who had a sewing event, he left to keep looking and showed up at our bishops house a couple miles down the road.
He had a very good story. I had 2 different people from church call me wondering if I had any temporary work. Sure. I run an understaffed hog farm and we almost always have things to do. So he came over and I put him too work, (in between the 'God Bless you's'). I actually really needed his help for 3 of us to reassemble a piece of farm equipment that afternoon. I kind of believed his story about a job offer in Mississippi at a chicken processing plant after a local ICE raid. And he apparently had a nice family with several young children down there. So when I was going to eat supper, I took him home and fed him and sent him on his way with some cash. He probably was not worth 40 bucks an hour, but my theory was if his story was true, he needed to get home to his family, if not true, I didn't want him around.

5 days later he was at the next Mennonite church 45 miles away. Now I hear he is visiting Mennonites in Wisconsin, which is not on his way to Mississippi. Apparently he has learned google is his friend at finding helpful Mennonites. Unfortunately Mitchell is not only a liar but also a registered sex offender.

Anyone have anything similar happen? I don't feel bad about having him around, since the farm is away from my house and I don't have children, plus he did a few hours of legitimate work.

[Soloist]

So last week there was a man stopped at our church on his way from North Dakota home to Mississippi. He was looking for work for a couple days on his way home, because he had repairs that used up all his cash. And he said he wanted to work, not just a handout. He was just driving around checking with anyone he saw. After talking to the ladies at church that day who had a sewing event, he left to keep looking and showed up at our bishops house a couple miles down the road.
He had a very good story. I had 2 different people from church call me wondering if I had any temporary work. Sure. I run an understaffed hog farm and we almost always have things to do. So he came over and I put him too work, (in between the 'God Bless you's'). I actually really needed his help for 3 of us to reassemble a piece of farm equipment that afternoon. I kind of believed his story about a job offer in Mississippi at a chicken processing plant after a local ICE raid. And he apparently had a nice family with several young children down there. So when I was going to eat supper, I took him home and fed him and sent him on his way with some cash. He probably was not worth 40 bucks an hour, but my theory was if his story was true, he needed to get home to his family, if not true, I didn't want him around.

5 days later he was at the next Mennonite church 45 miles away. Now I hear he is visiting Mennonites in Wisconsin, which is not on his way to Mississippi. Apparently he has learned google is his friend at finding helpful Mennonites. Unfortunately Mitchell is not only a liar but also a registered sex offender.

Anyone have anything similar happen? I don't feel bad about having him around, since the farm is away from my house and I don't have children, plus he did a few hours of legitimate work.

Haven’t heard of that one, my guess is he actually attended somewhere before and knows what be can get away with. Unfortunately I don’t really see a way of warning people ahead of time. Might be worth calling a police station to ask advice or see if they need to pick him up.

I would also check to verify he didn’t have contact with children and if he did, start managing the potential problem and repercussions… report it too.

[Ken]

Two possibilities occur to me.

The most benign explanation would be that he is trying to earn cash under the table in a way that would not trigger any red flags of the sort that would be triggered if he sought work from any sort of regular employer that is actually going to run a background check. Honestly, low wage food processing and warehouse type jobs are going unfilled everywhere in the country. One doesn't need to go from North Dakota to Mississippi just to find a crummy low-wage chicken processing job in a low-wage state like Mississippi. And honestly, asking for work not handouts is an old scam because it makes it more likely that people who don't really have actual work to offer will give handouts.

The most nefarious explanation is that he is surveying different communities with ill intent to commit some crime. Either property crime (steal things or money) or violent crimes such as grooming children for abuse.

I have found that some people are just natural scammers (i.e. predators) who can't seem to get out of that mode even when they don't need to be. They go through life constantly probing and looking for some weakness to exploit in others because it is all they know how to do. It sounds like you ran into one such person.

[Judas Maccabeus]

Two possibilities occur to me.

The most benign explanation would be that he is trying to earn cash under the table in a way that would not trigger any red flags of the sort that would be triggered if he sought work from any sort of regular employer that is actually going to run a background check. Honestly, low wage food processing and warehouse type jobs are going unfilled everywhere in the country. One doesn't need to go from North Dakota to Mississippi just to find a crummy low-wage chicken processing job in a low-wage state like Mississippi. And honestly, asking for work not handouts is an old scam because it makes it more likely that people who don't really have actual work to offer will give handouts.

The most nefarious explanation is that he is surveying different communities with ill intent to commit some crime. Either property crime (steal things or money) or violent crimes such as grooming children for abuse.

I have found that some people are just natural scammers (i.e. predators) who can't seem to get out of that mode even when they don't need to be. They go through life constantly probing and looking for some weakness to exploit in others because it is all they know how to do. It sounds like you ran into one such person.

My drug addicted sister did the exact same thing. Worked her way from church to church, looking for money. She was receiving state employees extended sick leave for at least two years. Any money given her would go right to the pill mill.

[steve-in-kville]

My drug addicted sister did the exact same thing. Worked her way from church to church, looking for money. She was receiving state employees extended sick leave for at least two years. Any money given her would go right to the pill mill.

So sorry to hear this. I've known people (and entire families) that prey on people's benevolence. It can make one sick in the gut to watch someone spiral like that.

[Robert]

I would also check to verify he didn’t have contact with children and if he did, start managing the potential problem and repercussions… report it too.

Yes. Report him to the County Sheriff and if they do not do anything, contact the State Police. He is up to no good. Children need to be protected. He also may not be able to return to his family if he is a sex offender. That is just a lie to get people to help him.

[MaxPC]

I would also check to verify he didn’t have contact with children and if he did, start managing the potential problem and repercussions… report it too.

Yes. Report him to the County Sheriff and if they do not do anything, contact the State Police. He is up to no good. Children need to be protected. He also may not be able to return to his family if he is a sex offender. That is just a lie to get people to help him.

Absolutely.

[Josh]

I would also check to verify he didn’t have contact with children and if he did, start managing the potential problem and repercussions… report it too.

Yes. Report him to the County Sheriff and if they do not do anything, contact the State Police. He is up to no good. Children need to be protected. He also may not be able to return to his family if he is a sex offender. That is just a lie to get people to help him.

I think it is unbecoming for pilgrim Christians to “report to the police” that someone was wandering around looking to work an odd job for some cash.

[Ken]

I would also check to verify he didn’t have contact with children and if he did, start managing the potential problem and repercussions… report it too.

Yes. Report him to the County Sheriff and if they do not do anything, contact the State Police. He is up to no good. Children need to be protected. He also may not be able to return to his family if he is a sex offender. That is just a lie to get people to help him.

I think it is unbecoming for pilgrim Christians to “report to the police” that someone was wandering around looking to work an odd job for some cash.

I agree with Josh here. It is certainly appropriate to report actual crimes that you have witnessed or been a victim of. But I'm not sure the sheriff department really wants to hear about some "suspicious character" who hasn't actually done anything wrong. It might, however, appropriate to give a heads up to your neighbors or other churches.

If, on the other hand, he is a known registered sex offender and in violation of the terms of his release. Which would be breaking the law. Then that is something that the authorities should know about.

[Soloist]

Haven’t heard of that one, my guess is he actually attended somewhere before and knows what be can get away with. Unfortunately I don’t really see a way of warning people ahead of time. Might be worth calling a police station to ask advice or see if they need to pick him up.

I would also check to verify he didn’t have contact with children and if he did, start managing the potential problem and repercussions… report it too

Specifically, I was suggesting the police as a safety thing to see if they had any suggestions to deal with this sort of thing. I suggested reporting him if there was contact with children.
He obviously is lying and there could be a number of reasons but I suspect some would still offer him help if he had been honest.
Wise as serpents, gentle as doves doesn’t mean we can’t ask those trained or report actual crime.

We have problems with predators among us who go from church to church when they get found out leaving hurting Christians or children who were not protected from evil hiding in the flock.
Somehow there is some who believe we can’t as Christians report these evil men. They aren’t going to be killed by the state or anything… put the evil out from your church and prevent them from slipping in again elsewhere unless they actually repent and confess.

Maybe this guy was 18 and did something with a 16 year old, I’ve heard stuff like that happens, but I’ve also heard much worse… I do not want my children threatened by these evil men because someone refuses to report actual crime.
I know of a church who chased off a seeker over his own adopted son getting turned over to the law for crimes…
He no longer is Anabaptist.