Just had to chime in on this one... had the exact same experiance as LITS and others... paying for AC after working in the hot summer sun, paying for phone calls home so people could enourage you to stay and "serve in god's house"... crappy food most days... and then being told that it was " a privledge to give back to Jehovah"... really... its a privledge to work as slave labor and then give back the little means you have... oh and dont forget that most of that money was designated to buy tokens for the subway to go to meetings.. oh yea you were obligated to support the local congregation. Three meeting a week AND feild service after working a half day on saturday. Or you gave the equlivant of token money to someone who had a car if they drove you. I stopped going to meetings within a month. have never given a dime since I got back from bethel. I feel I have a great big IOU saying "services rendered" that they still owe me..
Begging for money at Bethel
by life is to short 64 Replies latest jw friends
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Red Piller
LITS, you have the most incredible and heartbreaking stories. I always suspected that Bethel would be something I couldn't handle.......So glad I never went.
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darth frosty
They did have car repair shop at Bethel but most of the brother who worked there did not know much about cars or at least we got the ones who did not.
Ha you missed having the best mechanic in the world!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I got to bethel in april 94 and was assigned to the garage.
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life is to short
Dissed
I forgot about the masks. OMG if you asked for a decent mask that would actually block out the dirt. At 90 Sands we had this spray they coated the building with call monacoat not sure if it is spelled right. Anyway it was my job and a couple of other sisters to sweep up the stuff that got on the floor. I could handle it OK but anther sister I worked with could not breath she was gasping for air, it just really affected her. Well she went to the infirmary and they told her she had Asthma and had lied on her Bethel app they were pissed at her. She did not have Asthma but was reacting to the monacoat stuff. We never got good masks. And we were told to shake them out and reuse them. Oh and ear plugs, reuse them also. I got one of the worst ear infections ever because of reusing ear plugs. I would not go to the infirmary for the world knowing how horrible they treated you I just toughed it out. Yet one time this stupid brother one of the Heaves at Bethel come in and his got a splinter in his finger OMG and he runs to the infirmary and they treat him with kid gloves. I was so mad and hurt. Yeh us low lifes get nothing.
Wizard they did have dry cleaning and it was cheep. For a suit it was only like 30 cents, a dress was 15 cents. So that was not that big of deal. Plus gas for the car was about $1.30 to $1.50 a gallon when we were there.
Red Piller Thanks I do not mean to make my stories sad, I do not know why I have had all of this stuff happen to me. Sometimes I think did I make this stuff up, if it was not for the fact that I lived it I would not believe it. Thanks for your kind words.
LITS
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life is to short
Oh and I did not mean to not mention the pioneers and others. I know that they had it worse then us at Bethel. I knew I could never go where the need was great or be a Missionary. I heard to many horrible stories to ever what to do that. I cannot even begin to think what kind of life that would have been like. I feel so sorry for them.
I know for me pioneering was way worse then life at Bethel and I did not have it as bad as many other did.
LITS
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Confucious
Jesus talked about the Pharasee's and how they would disfigure their faces when they would fast.
At times I saw that in other Pioneers and at times now - I wonder if I did that.
Me and my wife as Pioneers used to revel in being "poor" so to speak.
It was like a badge of honor to be poor.
After the assemblies - when they used to have food service. We would pick up the leftover sandwiches and eat at the hotel. Basically - the show of it that we were too poor to even go out to dinner with people afterwards.
Confucious
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dissed
lits - I hope you don't mind me calling you by your first name? lol
I can also remember my overseer telling, (warning) us not to go to the infirmary as not to get a record. It could adversely affect your service priviledges.
When you read everyones Bethel experiences on this site, you will notice one overwhelming opinion expressed. A real lack of appreciation for the volunteers who slaved so hard for the WTS run by the GB. It was always, "the least, you should have done" attitude expressed by the WT administrators. Don't get me wrong, some people were very good to work for. But don't EVER have any problem, or you could feel the full effects of a un-caring, un-loving, and un-compassionate overlord. You were now, how do you say, 'expendable'?
Use, abuse, and then lose.....So many that were Bethel trained, and considered some of the best of the JW's, have either slowed down or entirely left the WT. I wonder how this is possible when they got to work so closely with the priviledged GB, "JC's spiritial brothers" oversight?
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BluesBrother
The average dub would be amazed at the number of ex Bethelites who end up here on this Board ( I am not one , however)
It seems that a taste of Spiritual Paradise and New World Living is more than enough to turn you away......
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therevealer
Hey Flipper - See what happens. You show such poor/little appreciation, lose jah's holy spirit and look where you are now. On the outside looking in. And don't pretend that your okay with that. Those still inners that know your sad demeanor since out know exactly where that comes from. Give it up, return and they might welcome you back with open arms eventually. Must do some penance first though.
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ziddina
"You show such poor/little appreciation, lose jah's holy spirit and look where you are now. On the outside looking in. And don't pretend that your okay with that. Those still inners that know your sad demeanor since out know exactly where that comes from. Give it up, return and they might welcome you back with open arms eventually. Must do some penance first though. ..."
HAAAAW!!! By the Goddesses, Revealer, you are a HOOT!!!
Let's see... What does Flipper have now???
A home.... Living in a VERY beautiful area - trust me, I've seen the general region he lives in, and it's GORGEOUS!!! His own vehicle[s]... A place where he can have PETS... Freedom of CHOICE... A new wife - family - who WON'T shun him on command from a buncha old farts who are totally out-of-touch with reality... Oh, yeah, and PROFITABLE LONG-TERM EMPLOYMENT... Financial planning for a comfortable RETIREMENT...
Soooo, what would he have if he'd NEVER left Bethel???
$90 a month and the threat of being thrown out onto the street - dumped onto a local congregation - with no greater skills than that of those menial labor guys you see standing around on street corners, waiting for some construction company to come by and hire them as 'grunts' for a few hours to a few days...
Yeah, POOR Flipper... He'd better hurry back, real soon....