(CP) Members of the Lakes Area Vineyard Church in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, where the late Beau Shroyer and his family were longtime members before moving to Lubango, Angola, to serve as missionaries in 2021, are now reeling in a complex web of emotions after learning that Beau's wife, Jackie Shroyer, was arrested in connection with his murder in the southern African country just over a week ago.
"It's been a pretty heavy and emotionally complicated week. The news of Beau's death along with now the heartbreaking news of Jackie's arrest in connection with his death has overwhelmed us with grief and speculation and confusion," Troy Easton, lead pastor, of Lakes Area Vineyard Church, said in a message to his congregation Sunday.
Easton's comments to his congregation on the 44-year-old Beau Shroyer's death came less than 48 hours after he announced in a letter that Jackie Shroyer had been arrested.
"As you all know, our community has been deeply saddened by the death of our dear brother and friend Beau Shroyer, who was killed in a violent, criminal attack in Angola, Africa on Friday, October 25. Today, our grief and sadness has deepened immeasurably as we've learned that his wife, Jackie Shroyer, has been arrested in connection with his death," Easton wrote. "I'm so sorry and simply do not have words to express my disbelief and sorrow about this news."
The Shroyer family had been working with the missionary organization SIM USA during their time in Angola and Easton said the couple's five children were being "well cared for" despite the tragedy.
"What I can tell you is that the Shroyer children are well cared for, and we will work alongside SIM USA and SIM Angola to ensure that continues to be the case," Easton explained.
In a presentation on their missionary work in Lubango to Country Faith Church in June which has now been made private by the church on YouTube, Jackie Shroyer, also 44, revealed that she and her family moved to Angola about three years ago. She said it was their first time as a family living overseas and their first time working as missionaries and they struggled to adjust.
She explained that in their first year in Lubango, they focused on learning Portuguese and the culture and constantly battled malaria and security issues.
"We battled many other sicknesses. We had a lot of security issues. Mistrust with guards. We went through so many guards, and we had several break-ins in our home during the night while we were at home sleeping," Jackie Shroyer said.
"On top of everything else, trying to figure out how to live in this culture, we had so many changes, so many difficult experiences that caused a lot of fear and trauma," she added.
The couple said they had returned to the U.S. this summer for the first time since they relocated to Lubango in 2021, and Beau Shroyer, who previously worked as a realtor and police officer, quickly announced on his professional realtor Facebook page that he was open to work during his time stateside.
"I'm back in Detroit Lakes for the summer, and still licensed to help you buy or sell your home in Minnesota. [...]," he wrote on June 1.
While ministry of officials have confirmed that Beau Shroyer's death was "violent," it remained unclear Monday how exactly he was killed as the church asked for privacy during their time of grief. And while he doesn't know how exactly God will work this tragedy for the church's good, Easton said he believes that God will work things out.
"I get that losing my friend this week, our friend and brother, to a senseless and vicious crime was already so painful, especially in light of the family that he left behind and the sacrifices that we know he already made to love and serve God but now that grief is compounded by news that is unthinkable," he told his congregation on Sunday.
"I'm so sorry church for your loss, for our loss, and for how much this hurts. I'm sorry for all the unanswered questions and the confusion this creates for us, and I am just deeply sorry that this is what we need to walk through and face as a community right now."
