NO!
And I honestly believe that my parents never felt that they accomplished anything in it either. Especially my mother and eventually my father after he got past the love bombing and the power trip.
Despite your reservations with being a JW, did you ever sometimes felt like you accomplished something in field service?
by miseryloveselders 18 Replies latest jw friends
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penny2
Yes, at the time I thought I was doing a "life saving work" because the end was going to come soon.
I also felt a sense of belonging being out with other JWs. I enjoyed talking with complete strangers and I took pride in never upsetting anyone (as soon as someone said they were not interested I politely left).
When I started doubting "the truth", it became more difficult.
penny
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shopaholic
The ministry itself - absolutely not.
Whenever I did something kind or helped a householder with no interest in the literature with something (finding a job, senior care & transportation, finding free afterschool programs) I was regularly reminded that the ministry is not a social service.
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Scarred for life
Shopaholic, Have you done any voluneer work since you left the JWs that would be in line with what you enjoyed doing? Helping people with their social problems?
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dandingus
Yes, miseryloveselders. I did every so often feel that my ministry served a useful and helpful purpose. But then, I always approached it very differently than almost everyone else I knew. There were many, many days when I would take nothing with me to the door except the bible and just offer to read a few verses or give a "thought for the day" or something. There were times I came across greiving people, or people who were struggling with their religion's interpretation of something and I really took the time to have actual conversations with them. There were some occasions when friends of mine would like working with me in service because I could have 1 or 2 calls that would take half the morning or more. And I would go out at odd times. Talk to convenience store clerks at 3:00 AM and such. I was a pioneer for 6 years, so I always was looking for ways to make service feel more like I was actually accomplishing something and less like a chore. I can honestly say that I did my best. Of course, that wasn't all the time. There were many days that it was a chore, or that I took it a little easier and wasn't on top of my game to be able to put that much effort into it. But I was there for people on many occasions and often felt good about myself for putting forth the effort when it happened.
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shopaholic
Have you done any voluneer work since you left the JWs that would be in line with what you enjoyed doing?
All the time. I work with several local organizations on various projects.
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Scarred for life
Good for you.
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miseryloveselders
Thanks for all of your input. I'm surprised but not so suprised by the level of no's this thread got. But in hindsight, most of the times I'm out in service I feel like I'm wasting my time too. It's just today, I felt particulary good about what I did. Dandingus summed it up better than I could. I really feel like I did today, and do the right thing when I can help people practically or using a Bible. The only thing I didnt do today, that usually do a couple times through the week, was check up some of the older friends. I'll probably do that tommorrow. There's a couple high rises I can visit.
I agree with the sentiments regarding the positivite help that volunteering accomplishes. That's something I've been thinking about making some time for. Trouble is, I don't remotely where to begin when it comes to considering volunteer work. Not just that, this friggin religion has me so darn busy with organizational nonsense. Again though, Sherah, Shopaholic, Scarred For Life, Penny Two, Darth, Think About It, White Dove, Finally Some Pride, Palimpsest, End of Mystery, Open Mind, and Dandingus, thanks for your imput. I love seeing other people's experiences and thoughts. Its nice discussing this without worringing about whether or not my spirituality is suffering for having these thoughts.
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Palimpsest
Whenever I did something kind or helped a householder with no interest in the literature with something (finding a job, senior care & transportation, finding free afterschool programs) I was regularly reminded that the ministry is not a social service.
I sincerely believe that if more Witnesses got a taste of what real volunteer work is like, the religion would collapse over night. No wonder the leadership always comes down so hard on it as being a "waste of time" and such.