Friday District Convention notes: Control, control, control

by truthseeker 46 Replies latest jw friends

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  parakeet

  ZZZZZZ......ZZZZZZZ.......ZZZZZZZ.....huh, uh, what, uh, did I miss anything?
  
  Thanks, truthseeker. All predictable information, but still good to know what's going on. Looking forward to tomorrow's notes.
• 

  truthseeker

  parakeet, just 8 hours of "Jehovah's loving provisions"

  I expect another deficit announced on Sunday afternoon.
• 

  truthseeker

  
  Two things got my attention - the number of brothers standing outside the convention talking on their cell phone

  The number of attendants per square foot - it was ridiculous - they had so many attendants in the main foyer - why?

  I'd walk out the convention site, then back in again, and they'd look at you suspiciously like I was an apostate or something.
• 

  lovelylil

  truthseeker,

  I really do feel your pain. The last few meetings I attended I was so angry at the twisting of scriptures from the stage and the berating of the poor friends that I was literally shaking. I had to walk out because I wanted to raise my hand for the microphone and just scream into it: how can everyone sit here and listen to these lies?

  I did not want to embarass my hubby and two kids so I held it in. But the last few months I was so depressed and torn emotionally. I just could not stomache the lies any more and support what I knew was not true.

  When I first told my hubby I wanted to leave the org. he threatened to leave me and take the kids and use my depression against me. I also have an auto-immune disease and cannot work enough to support myself. I really did want to commit suicide because it seemed like the easy way out. My family could keep their dignity.

  In my case, I know God intervened and gave me the courage to go on and take whatever happens and work thru it. I prayed a long time and really hard the final day I decided to tell my hubby I was going to leave. But I was so scared I was physically shaking because I knew what his reaction would be.

  That is why earlier in the day, when my kids who were 10 and 12, were downstairs I was upstairs, crying with a bottle of pills - an overdose of antidepressants. I came within seconds of taking them and going to a peaceful sleep. I was so messed up emotionally I was not even thinking about my kids and this was very unusual for me as I always put them first. But this shows you the state of mind I was in, I was not in the right mental state at all.

  In that moment, right before I took the pills I cried out to Jesus to please show me I am doing the right thing. I was so scared as we were taught never to pray to Jesus, so first I asked Jehovah to please allow me to approach his son. And to forgive me if I am making a mistake. I then prayed and asked him to show me what to do and what the truth was because I could no longer live if I had to be this torn.

  My hubby had been telling me for months that I was mentally disturbed and that is why I could no longer agree with the FDS. Anyway, at that very moment after praying and pouring out my heart to Jesus, I felt a calm come down from my head to the bottom of my feet. And I felt as if Jesus hugged me. I know I told this before but there is a reason why I am telling it again. Now, I know everyone does not experience what I did. I believe God has a purpose for me to live and that purpose has been to help my family out of the org. Not only my hubby and kids but I got my brother and sister in-law to stop studying and helped out a best friend of mine and several others so far. My story and experiences is helping others that is why I tell it. And also for another reason,

  I want people to know that no matter how hard it gets, if you believe in Jesus, he will come to you and help you and give you strength you did not know you could ever have. He will raise you up and no matter what happens, you will prevail.

  That day, I did not take the pills and when my hubby came home from work, I told him I was giving in my DA letter. He went upstairs and began to pack his clothes. I followed him up and took all the WT books off the bookshelf at the top of the staircase and flung them out the second floor window. I told him if he was leaving, he could take all this garbage with him.

  He tried to make me afraid by telling me I would get nothing and he would get everything including the kids. I said, no you will not becuase God will make sure of it. And he did. My kids refused to leave with their dad when he walked out the door.

  Next day, he came back and said that if I felt as strongly as I did about things, He thought he should at least hear me out. He has been out of the org. for a year now.

  I know what you are going through is hard but you will make it through this if you pray and you believe. I am not saying it will go easy all the time but truth always prevails over lies the end. As does love over hate and light over darkness. You just have to believe and ask Jesus for help. Jehovah has given all things under his authority at this time. This is the arrangement we have to recognize. He will help you find the strength you need. All you have to do is believe.

  Sorry this is so long. My heart goes out to you and all of you going thru the same thing I went thru. I just wanted to let you know that things can and will get better.

  I pray every day for the captives of the WT to leave, and many are even here in my community. And I will continue to pray until the last little one is out of that organization.
• 

  under_believer

  I will be going, to the Memorial Coliseum in Portland, OR this year. I am so not looking forward to this. I wish I could get in a car accident or something so I didn't have to go.

  like I was an apostate or something.

  LOL @ truthseeker!
• 

  free2beme

  I started to read everything, but I suddenly had a vision of being at the district convention and I feel asleep in my chair and tried to make it look like I was just looking down at my bible.
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  truthseeker

  LovelyLil, you have a PM.
• 

  jschwehm

  Hi Lil:

  Praise God that He got you and your husband out of JWs. What an awesome example of God's grace.

  Jeff S.

  www.catholicxjw.com
• 

  Lady Liberty

  Dear Truthseeker,

  Oh... how I know your plight!!! Last year my Husband and daughter went to our last District Convention. The only reason why we went was for my Grandmother. At this point, we were in a different hall, and she did not know we had stopped going to meetings in our hall yet. It was SO... very difficult to sit there for three days. I too took notes (but for a different reason then everyone else!) and was amazed at how things are so slanted. It is all about CONTROL! Besides the drama, (which had no scriptural basis) it was on Timothy rejecting wordly education. Oh how it angered me. Years from now we will have more aged parents with very little means, only because they were told not to get a education!!! Be like Timothy... I encourage you to see if anything was ever mentioned in the Bible about Timothy and education! Anyhow... what REALLY got my goat was a talk that started out talking about a baby being fed. How when you feed them something they don't like they spit it out and make a terrble face. And it runs down their chin and gets all over them, making a huge mess. ( At this point I looked at my Grandmother in shock and she could tell I was INSTANTLY pissed .) ..Then the speaker say, "Do we spit out the food the Faithfl Slave gives us?" She says to me.. "Now don't spit it out!!" And of course she does not whisper this on purpose! So the people sitting right infront of me heard her! I looked at my Grandmother again and I said so they people infront could hear me this time, " He is insulting my intelligence and I do NOT appreciate it!" The people infront of us heard everything I am sure.. but they didn't dare turn around. Later in that same talk the Brother used another illustration about doing what you are told without asking questions. He said, " If you were helping paint the Kingdom Hall and were given a 1" paint brush, would you be the type to say, 'Why don't we use a bigger brush??' Or would you be the one to say, 'Lets use a paint roller....' Or would you be the one to say, 'I know, lets use a sprayer!' You see Brothers, we need to follow direction, if we were told to use a 1" paint brush, then we need to use the 1"paint brush! So don't ask questions Brothers, just do what you are told!" I could NOT believe my EARS!!! I was BEYOND pissed!! And it still angers me to this day to recall those words! The really sad thing is , is that a few years ago I would of sat there in zombie land nodding and agreeing with the speaker. But now, I have woke up and decided to use my brain! The reason they don't want questions is they are terrified as to what you may find. Otherwise questions would be welcomed and encouraged. We went to the one day Convention for my Grandmother again last fall. That was IT!! We are DONE! I hope one day you won't have to sit through that anymore either. I know it is incredibly hard!! Hang in there. We appreciate you posting your notes, so all can see the mind control at its best!

  Sincerely,

  Lady Liberty
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  under_believer

  Lady Liberty, I was at the 2005 convention, but I don't remember that paintbrush illustration. I have kids though and they are pretty distracting at times. That illustration defies belief.