“Nothing can prepare someone to receive news like that.” This is a piece of what Jeremy and Jinger (Duggar) Vuolo said while discussing their new book, The Hope We Hold, with the Today Show.
As Mamas Uncut previously reported, on May 4, Jeremy and Jinger sent their memoir out to the world. Coincidentally, the release of their book was just days after Jinger’s older brother, Josh Duggar, was arrested and charged with receiving and possessing child pornography. Charges he says he is not guilty of.
Now, Josh is being monitored by a GPS ankle device and living at a house owned by family friends. He is only allowed to see his wife and his children, so long as Anna is present.
During their interview with the Today Show, Jinger and Jeremy admitted that it was a “really difficult” decision to make to even start writing the book which simultaneously talks about their lives before, during, and after their courtship.
“Jer and I had talked about writing this for at least two years, but it was a bit of a daunting task,” Jinger explained. “We knew that to write this kind of book is opening windows into our world that hadn’t previously been opened, even by the TV cameras.”
And that’s exactly what they did. In one chapter, Jinger honestly opened up about the day they learned Josh’s molestation scandal was made public news. And how the family coped during that time in their life. In the book, Jinger wrote:
“One of my siblings had made some sinful choice,” she wrote, choosing not to write Josh’s name. “But it has all been years ago. It had been awful, but we had dealt with it as a family. …Now that it was out in public, the old wound was open again, raw, painful.”
Publicly, while it is known that Josh molested four of his sisters, only Jill and Jessa have come out as victims. In the end, Jinger had to figure out how to move on from the pain that time in her life caused her.
“It’s definitely a process,” she told Today. “Immediately, it drew me closer in my relationship and love for Jesus and also for my family and close friends. But it’s also a process that takes time.”
Jinger Duggar and Jeremy also talked about Josh’s arrest as well.
“Nothing can prepare someone to receive news like that,” Jeremy said while speaking to Today. “Like everyone else, we are absolutely horrified, and want to see justice carried out. And we just want to say that we are grateful for the authorities who work tirelessly to end child abuse here and around the world. We’re praying for all of the victims in this situation — really, we’re praying for everyone who is involved.”
This is the couple’s second statement since Josh’s arrest. However, it remains unclear how the Duggar family is handling this time as a unit, if at all.
The Hope We Hold: Finding Peace in the Promises of God
$21.99 at the time of publication
Josh Duggar’s trial will begin the first week of July. As Mamas Uncut reported previously, sources suggest that he and Anna are maintaining a united front during these next few months.
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