Service Leeches

by man in black 14 Replies latest jw experiences

• 

  man in black

  I remember that in my old hall there was a single pioneer sister who lived in the kh basement. She did not drive, (22 years old) and she was

  such a "spiritual example" .

  But now I remember going out in service with the group on a Saturday morning, and she would be part of the group that was in my car.

  We would do about an hour of service door to door, and then return visits for an hour or two. Suddenly she had several urgent things that needed to be taken care of, "going down highway 14,,, I need to do some banking can you stop off so I can get this done? Or "Jewel has a big sale on apples, let me pop in and grab several while we are here". Oh look, there's my insurance agents office, stop and let me talk to him for a minute".

  This was quite a regular thing with her, and looking back I feel that she took advantage of the whole "brotherly love and concern" thing that is so popular with the witnesses.

  I remember that cargroup members would talk about how much time could be recorded for service, was time spent waiting in the insurance agents parking lot valid, or would that be recognised as breaktime ?

  Was this something that was an isolated thing from my area, or did this type of behavior happen in other areas ?
• 

  JRK

  Most of the pioneers I knew "f**ked the dog" as much as possible while counting time.

  JK
• 

  Morbidzbaby

  Yeah I know a lot of pioneers who did stuff like that. They ran their errands and still counted the time because they left a freakin' tract inside the bank.

  Or there were some who would stop for lunch, but say they were "working straight through"...we're talking a restaurant, sit-down meal... And they'd give the waitress their little spiel and hand her a Watchtower or a tract and then count the entire lunch plus the time it took to get to the next door.

  So much for not counting time until they're actually IN the territory!
• 

  Ding

  I heard of a brother who always had a hot of hours to report.

  In fact, he always dropped people off and then went for coffee and donuts.

  No one ever saw him actually go to anyone's door.

  When an organization focuses some much attention on hours spent, this is what they get...
• 

  Scully

  I've known some people like that. They don't drive or own a vehicle, and use Field Service™ as a springboard to get their personal errands done on other peoples' time and dime. They also have no respect for traffic regulations like Fire Lane or No Parking signs.

  One of these leeches had me driving her around on some errands after Field Service™ coffee break, in between Return Visits™ so we could continue Counting Time™. She had a call at one townhouse, but there were no parking spaces available. I suggested that she do her Return Visit™ while I waited in the car, because I didn't want to stop in a No Parking zone. She eventually convinced me, despite my objections, that it would be fine, she didn't see any police cars in the area. Still, it bothered me because it was a No Parking sign, and I didn't want to be a bad example to observers (like the angels, for instance), and I didn't want to disappoint Jehovah by breaking the law. Yes, I really was *that* hypersensitive.

  Anyway, we got back to the car - it wasn't 5 minutes that we were gone, because nobody answered the door at the Return Visit™ - and there was a freaking $8 parking ticket on my windshield. I was so upset!!! and Sister™ Leech looked at me and said "I hope you don't expect ME to pay for that because I can't afford it - besides you're the one who decided to park here!" My mere annoyance at getting the ticket boiled over into rage, because here she was wasting my time and my gas, and talked me into doing something I didn't want to do and now she felt no accountability for it, NONE. I told her to GET IN, and then I drove without saying a word straight to her house, and she was like "But I have other errands to do before I go home...." and I just glared at her and said GET.OUT.NOW.

  Then I drove to the police station and paid the ticket to clear my conscience. For a long time I felt it was Jehovah's way of telling me he was terribly disappointed in me for breaking Caesar's Law™. But at least Sister™ Leech never asked me to do any favours for her or Go In Service™ with her after that.
• 

  blondie

  I never knew a sister or brother quite like that till I moved to another area. She also had no car and would give the driver a $1 for the day thinking that covered the cost of maintaining a car (gas, insurance, upkeep). She would run her errands during service time and after. Never a thank you, just that it was our part to support her in full-time service. She was desperately looking for a husband and had moved here to be near Bethel. She managed to get herself invited to spend time with married couples and then would have them match her up with someone. It worked. She went into the housecleaning business with another sister and told her that she shouldn't have to pay for the gas to get them to their jobs...

  MIB may be it is the same sister.
• 

  FatFreek 2005

  Just before the time I terminated my elder's position we had an elder's meeting discussing one of the elder's who was absent. No one remembered the last time he was in service cuz he claimed illness frequently. Yet no one remembered the last time he missed giving an assigned public talk. The man was obviously a showboat.

  He'd also just asked for the outline on the memorial talk, assuming he would do that talk again as usual. He claimed to be of the annointed.

  I never knew how that one panned out.

  
• 

  outsmartthesystem

  I recall the pioneer "star" route. It was quite popular....especially in the winter time. Make a call on the southwest side of town. Then make a call on the north side of town. Then make a call on the southeast side of town.....etc.

  Everyone would joke and laugh about this....and say with a wink "how do you think we get our "time"?

  And this is divinely backed?

  Exactly how did NOT stop to think and contemplate if God was really directing this charade?
• 

  LostGeneration

  Thats why when I laugh when I see the b0rg patting themselves on the back for their 1.5 billion hours of FS time. How much of that is legit?

  10 percent?

  5 percent?

  Dare I say even 1% is actual time spent talking to people? Maybe that is a little low when you factor in bible study time, but I can settle on 5% as being more in line with the "truth" That's why is takes 5000 of their "hours" to make one baptism. Again, the angels sure suck in directing the "preaching work."
• 

  AnnOMaly

  There was one car-less sister who I knew called up sisters with cars, and would ask to meet up to do 'our' return visits. The trips inevitably ended up with her being ferried about to the far-flung reaches of the territory to do HER return visits and then there was no time left to do the driver's. As far as I know she never contributed to gas.

  Although, come to think of it, she did produce a lot of hot air herself, was a very domineering character who took over, and it was probably a blessing in disguise that the drivers' calls didn't get done when she was with them.