a at g..
I never got the literal green handshake but I did have people give me money, etc. over the years when I pioneered. Once, my transmission went out on my car. Congregation helped pay for that (at the urging of the PO who helped my find that lemon...it got totaled later..lol)
One time I was going to Bethel for 3 weeks as a temp, but didnt have the money for the plane ticket. I was at morning book study (the old people group) and toward the end of the study, the overseer asked me to leave for a few minutes. When I came back, they had an envelope that had apparently been circulating around the book study groups to collect. Out of 100 publishers, that envelope contained $190....about $10 short of a plane ticket..which someone else later put it. (That is a no-no now)
I got a small amount of money...very small actually.... when I graduated MTS...and there was no going away party for me when I was leaving for my assignment...and in actuality I never physcially moved away... so I was glad no one made a big deal of it... I think many were glad I was leaving... lol..trust me, I still live in this town and dont hear much from them...must be marked or something...
Each time, I was embarrassed that I was being given anything....
I once had a CO ask me to solicit funds quietly among the brothers (also "officially" a no-no now, but still widely practiced and never turned down) to get GB member Dan Sydlik a new suit..his was threadbare at the DC. We got the money together and got him the suit, a couple of shirts and ties... had them tailored at the local outlet of the chain where we bought the clothes... got a nice note back. ...Well...his pre printed letter he sent to everyone with a handwritten note to us at the bottom....... :( We had friends that wanted to donate the entire amount....and they well could have afforded it... I limited donations to $20 per single person or family so that no one person could take credit for the gift..it was to be a gift from the congo...
I had (he is still there, no longer talks to me) a friend at Bethel... he would send yearbooks every year to me.. he later said that he had to cut his allotment so he quit sending them to those who "did not express appreciation." One year all I sent was a card..no money. After that, the yearbooks stopped coming.
glad that period of my life is over.
Snakes ()