Practicing gratitude. Jill Duggar is thankful for her community after her brother Josh Duggar was arrested last week.
“We were reminded this morning in church about how important community is! I think I’ve brought this up before, but I’ve literally prayed for good community!! We need others for support, prayer … people to do life with and so much more,” Jill, 29, wrote via Instagram on Sunday, May 2. “I know this last year has tested all of us so much, but sometimes it’s in the difficult times that you see more clearly who your people are as they become the hands and feet of Jesus!”
Josh, 33, the eldest of the 19 Duggar siblings, was arrested on Thursday, April 29, in Arkansas. The following day, he pleaded not guilty to receiving and possessing child pornography. His trial is set to begin July 6 and, if convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison and $250,000 in fines for each count. The reality star is currently expecting his 7th child with his wife, Anna Duggar.
Previously, Josh was accused of molesting multiple girls — including some of his sisters — when he was a teenager. After the scandal surfaced in 2015, he admitted to the allegations.
“Twelve years ago, as a young teenager, I acted inexcusably for which I am extremely sorry and deeply regret. I hurt others, including my family and close friends,” he wrote at the time. “We spoke with the authorities where I confessed my wrongdoing, and my parents arranged for me and those affected by my actions to receive counseling. I understood that if I continued down this wrong road that I would end up ruining my life.”
After Josh’s charges made headlines on Friday, April 30, Jill and her husband, Derick Dillard, gave a statement to Us Weekly.
“We just found out this information yesterday,” the couple said. “It is very sad.”
Jill and Josh’s parents, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, also shared a statement regarding their son’s newest scandal on Friday.
“We appreciate your continued prayers for our family at this time,” they said to Us via their family rep. “The accusations brought against Joshua today are very serious. It is our prayer that the truth, no matter what it is, will come to light, and that this will all be resolved in a timely manner. We love Josh and Anna and continue to pray for their family.”
Jill reached out to her followers to see where they find their personal communities in Sunday’s post.
“Do you have good community or are you in a season where you’re praying for and being intentional to build community ( … yeah, sometimes it takes some work!)?” she wrote. “Who are you grateful for today? I have a growing list!”
Jill and her husband, 32, said in March that they haven’t been back to the Duggar family home in years due to “a lot of triggers” there.
“In this season of life we have to prioritize our mental and emotional health, and our threshold is a little bit lower,” the TLC personalities shared in a YouTube Q&A video published March 21. “We’d like for it not to stay that way but that’s where we are now.”
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