Ever met a CO's wife who was healthy and happy? (page 2)

jwfacts

I have, my mother.

She is happy as a COW and fit as a fiddle at the age of 60. But then again, she was the reason my parents are in Circuit work. My father is an introvert, and so tags along for the ride.

When I was young I thought the CO’s and DO’s have the best job in the world. I didn’t understand why the wives complained about having so little time with each other and that their lives were fully planned out by the society.

When a long-time German DO was assigned to be a Gilead instructor for the German branch I went up to them and told them that, wow, they must be so exited and happy about this. The DO related that he never expected an assignment like this at his old age (70+), but he feels privileged having meetings with gb members, the Adams’ brothers and U. Glass. His wife was not happy at all, she sounded like it was more of a punishment and not a reward for all their hard work over so many years. Now she has even less time to spend with her husband she lamented. When she complained to the German branch overseer she said he told her, "Jehova hat dir nichts genommen, er hat dir gegeben! (Jehovah has not taken anything away from you, he has given you!)" It’s interesting that the Branch overseer said this, since he is the one who gave that assignment.

Bethelites and missionaries always had the very same complain.

fts

Gill

I remember one CO's wife in particular. She and her husband were both physically attractive people and her husband was a 'Charismatic Speaker'. It was embarrassing to see how the brothers and sisters would 'kiss his ass' so passionately and follow him around.....like true dumb sheep.

Anyway, when they arrived at our cong once, she was taken to hospital as she collapsed. She had to stay in for tests for a few days. The results came out and of course everyone knew what her consultant told her.

But, this consultant was a 'worldly man who didn't know the urgency of the times', and he was scoffed at by the cong and the CO.

He said that this woman needed to settle down and have a family before it was too late. (She was 38). She was diagnosed as clinically depressed,and offered medication and help.

The end result was that, after prayerful consideration, the couple decided to work even harder in Jehovah's Work, as the time was so close now, and to pray harder, study harder and put more effort into the field. This encouraging information was tittle tattled about around the congregation.

That was in 1983.

I sometimes wonder what happened to them both.

vitty

This is a little bit different, but, I was speaking to a middle aged missionary, who had been assigned for over 20 years in many places one being south America. As we got talking she told me she was sad that she had given up having children (but was looking forward to having them in the new sytem) She told me lots of experiences of how they were treated by the Bethel.

One time she told me they had spent about a month in very bad conditions in the jungle and when they got back to bethel the brother told them they couldnt stay there but had to stay with a local family. She said all she wanted was a shower , some pritvate, intimate time with her husband and some normal food. She was very unhappy with what she experienced while she was a way and when they had to come home because of the mental pressures.

I was really surprised at how normal she was considering what she had put up with.

Stealth453

I met one once, long agao, that seemed happy all the time. Found out several years later that she wasn't happy, she was drunk. Carried a flask of vodka around everywhere she went.

Don't say that I blame her.

luna2

I used to avoid the KH when the CO's came around so I've only had any contact with about four CO-wives. Only one out of the four seemed happy and didn't have major food allergies or obvious problems with depression.

Sister L, had the full-blown allergic to everything, must eat organic food thing. She was whiney, demanding and rude. My friend and I figured that she probably developed these problems in order to get some attention. It worked pretty well. Everybody would talk about what they needed to do to avoid setting off Sister L's allergies and were very solicitous of her.

There was one episode where she jumped out of a car group in hysterics because someone was wearing some sort of scented handcream or had used scented shampoo. This even got the attention of her husband, who raced off after her into their camper to make sure she hadn't gone into a coma or something. Guess you do what you have to.

Sister S, had terrible back trouble...her difficulty was not psychosomatic, she eventually had surgery for the problem. She had to become demanding about the type of bedding provided as she could not sleep on hide-a-beds or worn out mattresses (this was when they'd gotten rid of the camper-vans and forced the COs and wives to stay with congregation members). I felt very badly for her. She was a nice woman and lived in pain almost all the time.

I heard her husband left the work, the JWs and Sister S and ran off with another woman.

Sister B, was simply the bitchiest, snootiest woman ever...one assumes that she didn't much like her life. She couldn't even pretend any more. I avoided her whenever possible.

At the time I left, at least some of the CO couples had apartments in KHs centrally located in the circuit so that they could, if they wanted to, travel back and forth from their home to the various congregations.

Pubsinger

Once took the CO's wife on my RVs

It was winter and she was wearing a fake (i assume/hope) fur hat.

While on one of my "coffee calls" there was a knock on the door. In walks the drunk brother of my call. He was in his early fifties and was a nice guy, but it was close to Chrismas and he'd finished early and gone for a drink.

We all pretended not to notice and I introduced the CO's wife.

He looked her straight in the eye and said "heeelllooo Jeeeannn. Pleeeassed to meeet yooooussh. Why have yooouu gottt a deeead SSSqqquirrelll on yooour hheeead!!"

AK - Jeff

Interesting thought Nellie.

Most of the ones I knew were indeed sickly, somewhat depressed at times, and often hyper-sensitive and obsessed. They seem to have a cognitive fight I think with the idea of 'special service' being anything but special, indeed rote and boring. This IMO may be the causitive for such general poor health. What kind of life would it be to follow your CO husband around, listen to the same talks and same jokes for 25 or so weeks in a row ?

Then in the end, most likely one becomes a poor couple in a poor congo somewhere, expected to be 'pillars of truth', while trying to survive on little income, maybe no retirement funds. We had a former CO and his wife in our cong for 40 years after they left the work. They literally lived in a 15 foot travel trailer, with a little out building. He went to work, trying to build a little social security account, but I doubt it amounted to much. They both died in that little trailer. Though they put on the dog and pony show about the 'kingdom blessings', they looked to all the world to be pretty kooky and obsessed.

No, I don't think it is a happy life in the end for most of them, and they show the stress.

Jeff

jaguarbass

In my day I dont remember any co's wifes that were healthy or happy and I dont remember too many Sisters that were healthy and happy. Maybe they were just human. I know very few people that are healthy or happy. I try not to think about it. Most of the time I am happy and all of my life I have been healthy.

fullofdoubtnow

I've seen 9 or 10 co's and wives, and I can only think of one that seemed genuinely content with her lot in life, and she and her husband were quite close to retirement anyway. All the others I've known have been miserable people, depressing to be with. Perhaps it isn't that surprising really, being dragged all over the circuit and hearing the same public talk every Sunday would be a depressing thought.

Ever met a CO's wife who was healthy and happy?