I was a new Ministerial Servant and figured I better take on all the assignments that were asked of me, even the ones I did not exactly like. Which brings me to how I got to know, Brother Johnson, he was an older man in his nineties and in all the time I was growing up, I could count on my fingers how many times I actually saw him make it to the meetings. Ever know someone that was just so old when you were born, and you knew so long, that you convinced yourself they were just always old? Well, that was Brother Johnson in a nutshell. Most every new Ministerial Servant had to take their time with caring for him and checking in on him from time to time, and each time we ended up mowing a lawn, doing some grocery shopping or scrubing out a toilet that looked nastier then something you find at a gas station. It humbled us though, and then we had to sit around listening to stories of the great depression and preaching work with people long long since dead. The same stories, each visit, just told on a different date.
Brother Johnson was not a bad guy, he was just old and in time I did get to know him pretty good. In fact, when most of the other Ministerial Servants had backed out of helping him anymore, normally around the time they made elder and did not feel the need to brown nose further, I kept on checking in on him. I know he appreciated it and in time his stories became different and he started telling me stories that were more personal to him. How he met his wife, how he felt when his first son was born and the emotional wreck he became the day he went to wake her from a nap and realized their path together in this world was over. I knew our age difference was huge, but honestly he was one of the closest friends I ever had.
One day, when I came to his house, he was sick and not doing very well. For his age, it was amazing how strong he was. He asked me to stay with him and talk for awhile and I set next to his bed while he spoke softly and tried to keep himself awake. I thought he feel asleep for a moment, when he suddenly opened his eyes and spoke, "Young man, would you do me a favor and get the brown box from the top of my dresser?" I turned and sure enough, there it was, and I grabbed it and took it to him. He smiled and opened the box and started to speak, "You know, I know how you young people felt about me when you came over to help this old man, " he then coughed for a moment, "I heard the comments they wanted whispered, and the sad look on their face when I asked them to do things for me." He then laid back a little further in his pillow, "I also know, you were not like the rest and I have long since thought of you as someone special to me." I smiled and thanked him for feeling this way, as I did think of this older man as a friend too. He then opened his hand, and showed me a blue rock that he pulled from the box, "I want you to have this, for it is the key to the truth." I thought he meant, the truth as in the religion we shared and believed in and took the rock and looked at it. It was about the size of a small cell phone and seemed polished with a few small designs painted in gold all over the surface. I thanked him for it, but explained I did not expect anything from him and he should not feel any need to give anything too me. He smiled, and grabbed my hand that held the rock and spoke softly, "I know you mean that, and that means more to me then you could imagine. Just take this gift though, and may it make your life one that is always lead by the truth." I explained that I would, and he fell asleep and I headed home for the night.
The next morning I awoke to a call from the Presiding overseer, he told me that my friend Brother Johnson died last night and not to come over as I had planned to do that day. We both spoke of sadness and yet honest feelings about how he had lived a long life and been a good man. I hung up the phone, and within a couple days we had his memorial and soon his house was cleaned out of all his stuff and sold. It was weird driving by it a couple months later and not wanting to stop by and see how he was doing, to hear stories about how his son once met the President while in Washington or how he used to live in Africa for awhile in the preaching work. Yet he was not there anymore, and I just drove by.
The next day I was scheduled to speak with the elders about a matter with another sister, in which she was having some problems with her children. I was getting my things together, and looked down and saw the rock brother Johnson had given me. I decided, "I think I will take this with me," and placed it in to my coat pocket. As I arrived at the Kingdom Hall, I could see the other elders were already there. I came in and found Presiding Overseer was sitting down at the table in the second room and a couple other elders were with them. I came in and they thanked me for coming. I set down and we started to speak about this sister, and the problems she was having with her family. I asked the elder to my right, Brother Horn, what he thought we should do to help her and what he said shocked me, "Personally, I really can care less about her and find the fact that she is always having problems annoying. I really wish we could find something to disfellowship her for and get her out of our hair." The PO smiled and agreed, "Yes, but you know she always has some of the most amazing stories to confess and remember that time she explained to us how she caught her daughter in bed with her boyfriend, that was great." I shock my head for a second, thinking this is odd, beyond odd for that matter. I had never heard these men speak this way. I spoke up, "We are suppose to be here today, figuring out how to help this woman and your wanting to disfellowship her and you are talking about enjoying her description of her daughters sex life, what is happening here." The other elder, Brother Douglas laughed, "You have always been to sincere, kick back a little, take advantage of these lemmings, we have the power right here. Use it!" The PO then went off on how he masturbates thinking about that sisters sex stories and how he told his wife about it. I was sick to my stomach, and I told them I needed to leave. They laughed at me, and told me to keep what I heard to myself or they would frame me for something and have been considered a Apostate before the end of the week. I could not believe it, and I left in disgust.
That night when I arrived home, I felt the need to call someone about this and since I had the Circuit Overseers number, I called him. He answered the phone and I explained who I was, and then went in to what I was calling about. He paused for a moment, and began to give his thoughts on the matter, "You know, some people in the congregation are just too much work and they are always in trouble for one thing or another. Why not just let it go, and we promise we will get you in on some attractive sister sex confession soon. You know you would like that, I know I always did. Just don't cause trouble and ruin this for the rest." I could not take it, I hung up the phone. All I could think of was, "What in the hell is going on here." These were older spiritual men I looked up to for years. Men I always thought were sincere. What was I going to do?
I set there thinking and felt in my pocket the rock Brother Johnson gave me. I took it out and thought about how much he would have hated to hear what I heard, how if age had not killed him, I know what I heard tonight would have. I placed it on the dresser and went to bed. The next morning I was at work, when my cell phone rang. It was the PO and to be honest, I thought he was going to tell me about he masturbated last night, as that seemed to be his main topic of choice the night before. Instead he seemed irritated, "Brother, why did you not come to the Kingdom Hall last night. We waited for you for hours and you never showed. We really needed your help, and we ended up having to spend more time then normal handling this issue. Do you not care about your fellow brothers and sisters. Does your yes not mean yes." I set there holding my phone thinking this man was nuts, I started to explain how I was there and how I spoke to them and as I started to explain what they said he interrupted and started telling me how the Devil was the father of the lie. I found myself apologizing and confused and felt that way until I got him. As I entered my house, I saw I had a message on my machine. I played it and it was the Circuit Overseer, "Hello, I saw your number on my caller ID last night and you did not leave a message, if you need to speak to me, I will be home this evening." Was I going nuts?
I then decided I needed to call a friend of mine back in Bethel and get some advice. As I picked up the phone I saw Brother Johnson's rock and I held it thinking again how he would have really disliked what was happening. My friend answered, he was always a mature man, on the writing committee and speaking all over the world at conventions. I explained to him about what happened and how it troubled me, he paused and then chuckled a bit, "You actually believe all this don't you?" I paused and responded, "Believe what, that they said those things?" He chuckled some more, "No, that this religion is actually run by Jehovah God." I was shocked, "Of course I do, and so do you, right?" He responded, "Not in the least, of course I did about ten years ago. Until I found notes from supposed Governing Body members that showed they were not sure what they were doing. I found information that conflicted, and when I was cheating on my wife with a local worldly girl they told me that god's spirit had directed them to appoint me to the writing committee. I especially lost faith when I once wrote an article completely drunk off my ass, and they thought it was wonderful. What a crock, this place is a power hunger cult with desires of grandeur." He then laughed. I got so irritated I threw the rock out of my hand in to the front yard. I was shaking my head in disgust when my friend spoke up, "Is there anyone there, Hello, who is this?" I was silent for a moment and told him it was me, "Oh, how are you, I have not talked to you in awhile. How is the preaching work going?" I asked him, "Were we not just talking for awhile?" He laughed, "No I just answered the phone. You feeling okay?" I told him I was fine and made small talk as I looked in to the yard and saw that blue rock looking back at me. I then excused myself and hung up.
I walked up to it slowly and picked it up. What kind of a gift did brother Johnson give me and I remembered him saying, " ...may it make your life one that is always lead by the truth ... " As I held it my nice neighbor walked by, and I said hello, and she spoke back, "You have gotten fat and your dog is ugly." She then walked on and a few seconds later she was giving me a friendly smile from down the street. I set there in the couch that night, just holding that rock, and thinking about all that I had experienced in the last couple days. What was the next step? I decided to discuss it with the elders and went to them the next day, without the rock, and explained what I remembered them telling me and what the circuit overseer said and my friend back at Bethel. I laid it all out for them, I wanted them to believe me. They excused me, and that next week I was disfellowshipped as a Apostate.
I took my rock with me the next week to the cemetery where my friend Brother Johnson was buried. I set there looking at his name printed on the headstone, and amazed at how many years he lived. I could see another funeral was happening a few plots down and I kept to myself. I did a mental thank you to this friend for showing me what he always appreciated, a sincere truth and realized how much he freed me with this simple gift. The funeral next door was over and a small child walked up to me and spoke, "What are you doing here sir?" I smiled and said, "I am here to see an old friend, " and pointed to the ground. The little boy smiled and said, "Don't be sad, Mr. Johnson is with his wife now." I stood there silent and the boy walked off, and I heard his mother ask him who he was talking to and he responded, "I was not talking to anyone, what are you talking about." I smiled though, looked down at this blue rock and knew at that moment, I now truly knew the truth and no more would lies lead my life. Thanks to a gift, from a really old friend.
