Helpful Techniques For Getting In Your Pioneer Time

by Bangalore 22 Replies latest jw friends

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  NewYork44M

  This stuff never gets old...
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  Giordano

  From my story Confessions of a Wayward Pioneer:

  Part 3. Pioneering where the need was great....I get schooled by Hilly and Hoppy.

  One of my first duties was organizing the twice a week door to door service. But our two older brothers, Hilly and Hoppy, kept ducking me. They went out on their own and they were placing something like 300 magazines a month. Frank (The Presiding Minister) was concerned that they might be dumping them in the woods. The Circuit Servant was coming in a few weeks So he wanted me to check them out.

  I had a hard time convincing H and H to let me join them in service, finally I dropped a few hints that I was a pretty laid back brother who didn't always follow WTBTS policy... which was the truth. They finally agreed and off we went with an enormous stack of magazines. We headed to an area a little out of town where they liked to get started. I got the impression that they didn't do door to door. Hoppy's bedroom slippers was one clue.

  Their expertise in placing magazines was stuffing them in mailboxes. I was directed to pull up to a roadside mailbox and Hoppy, sitting in the back would slip a magazine into it. It took me a little while to get his window properly lined. “No your two far away" I can’t reach that far” Hoppy I learned was also not into stretching. He was a careful man easily noted by the belt and suspenders he always wore. When I questioned the lawfulness of using a postal service mailbox he said "Don't worry we've got a standing order from these folks". I looked over at Hilly and he had a little smile on his face....

  So we proceeded down the road shoving magazines into mail boxes and I came to the conclusion that it was really a very relaxing stress free way to do things and very effective......... if somewhat illegal.

  About a half hour into this Hilly called for a coffee break. "I hate to stop now I'm really behind on my time", I said.
  "Don't worry about it the clocks still running!" Over coffee I learned that they preferred to get their time 'started' then enjoy a leisurely cup of coffee. This was a revelation to me. I honestly didn't know any witness from my old congregation that counted time like that.

  An hour later we were ready to resume our FS. The local old age home was next. I followed Hilly inside and he directed me where to put a stack of magazines. Then we drove to the local hospital, then a Lutheran assisted living facility which I thought was cheeky. Hilly and I floated in and out of the buildings never speaking to anyone. It was a very pleasant way to do things.

  Hilly explained, "I'm not good with words but I'm good at getting the magazines in places so that people can find them. Then it's up to the magazine to provide the words". Unlike Hoppy he always spoke the truth.

  Frank called me later that day and asked what I had learned, “They are definitely not dumping magazines in fact they are pretty amazing They have a way of covering the territory that's unique". "Unique good or unique bad?" Frank asked.

  "Good enough", I replied, "but Frank, I'd keep the circuit servant away from them when he comes." Frank knew something was a little bit off but he went along with it.

  I made it a point to join them once a week...........we each counted a third of the 'placed' magizines. Hoppy inflated his numbers a little.
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  NewYork44M

  great story. I think every congregation had a Hilly and Hoppy.